sweetcheecks:

Wow, you are hopeless!



By the way I have come to accept that Africa to Nigerians mean Nigeria. That is painfull realisation.

It also make me wonder why the tittle of the Father of African Literature would be given by Americans just becouse the man happened to work among them. If one takes you discription of what the status af a Father of. . . What about the Sotongas, the Plaatjies who wrote most African most popular anthem? God bless Africa?
And how come none of the initial SA writers are not called fathers as they were the first to be educated and have a black university in Africa ( Uni Forte 1916 vs Uni Ibadan 1948 )

And why were and are still most Africans not aware of Chinua? But are very well aware of Soyinka?
If he is father aint we as African suppose to impose the tittle on him rather than some Americans who get exposed for the first time to a African/Nigerian writer?

Please forcing a crown on this man is more disgraceful and embarassing more than anything. Please let go! He is a father of his children, for goodness sake! Go be a hero and stop looking for heros.

texazzpete:

I thank God I am neither Igbo or Yoruba so I can make this statement without being tagged with a tribal brush.

You, my dear, are an imbecilic dolt!
You are one of the ignoramuses WS so aptly described in this interview. What does it matter if 'others' (who WS rightly calls 'misguided' or 'overcome with exuberance')called Achebe the 'father of African Literature'? The man himself never called himself that...nor did any of the major literary icons in Nigeria label him that. So what is this fascination with foisting such a title on him?

Freudian slip? YOU need to get over your jealousy and pettiness.

Nobody would ever call Elvis the 'Father of Rock and Roll'. Michael Jackson has never been called the 'father of Pop'.

wingman: @babyosisi, thank you so much. Adadioramma. Thank you!

shymexx: Osisi

Michael Jackson is the King of Pop because he created that genre of music. And he's the highest selling artist of all time. Before MJ, there was nothing like pop(popular) music and as long as he remains the highest selling artist ever, he'll forever remain the King of Pop.

Elvis isn't the father of anything; perhaps the father of white people's version of rock n' roll. If anyone deserves to be the top-of-the-pops in rock n' roll - then it should be James Brown.

These folks need to stop throwing titles around.

shymexx: Osisi

Michael Jackson is the King of Pop because he created that genre of music. And he's the highest selling artist of all time. Before MJ, there was nothing like pop(popular) music and as long as he remains the highest selling artist ever, he'll forever remain the King of Pop.

sarutobie:
This guy just said there was nothing like Pop music before micheal jackson!!?? NLanders keep on suprising me everyday.lol

Afam4eva:
Pop music is another term for "popular music" and started before Micheal Jackson was born, so i don't know what you mean by he created pop music.

Aigbofa: Bluff is no substitute for bullets! A lesson so simple, yet so difficult for some to learn.

Aigbofa: Bluff is no substitute for bullets! A lesson so simple, yet so difficult for some to learn.

philfearon: Why do i get this Feeling that all those against Achebe in dis Thread are Yoruba People? I gues u pple r unhapy it was nt ur Sole Woyinka dat is being labelled as "Father of African Literature" right? I dnt blame u pple anyway...OTher Writers r nt Crying Foul abt it,So why ir Wole Soyinka beggin 4 atention?i wil tel u dis Wole nd ur Yoruba suporters,u guys Suck...kip cryin like Kids 4 all i care...CHINUA ACHEBE'S "THINGS FALL APART" is stil d greatest novel 4rm Africa,nd is even publishd in Ova 15languages worldwide....can u beat that til u die @WOLE SOYINKA?

shymexx:

But is Muhammad Ali even the greatest boxer of the last century? Sugar Ray Robinson was far greater than Ali(and I'm the biggest Muhammad Ali fan). Some of these titles are just plain stupid and dumb.

That was the same way Nelson Mandela was named the "Greatest African" and "Father of Africa." Like seriously, what did he do for Africa?

It's high time we all started educating ourselves about African history. Africa didn't start during the colonial era. There were so many greats/legends from that continent before the modern era. And there's absolutely no father of anything in Africa!

DerideGull: I can safely say that WS is a playwright or dramatist not an author.

X-factoria:


You didn't quite comprehend WS sayings. All those examples you gave (in bold) are genres of music. I'm glad you didn't say any of those guys is the father of music. Saying Achebe is the Father of African literature is myopic because Achebe only writes fiction which is just one branch of literature. There are playwriters and others who do completely different things. If people like you are desperate to make Achebe a King, the best you can do is make him a father of fiction or "storytelling" but after reviewing his work against those other African storytellers that WS mentioned. Don't just sit down with your limited understanding of literature and make pronunciations that give you away as lacking in education.

sweetcheecks:
Correction bhuti! Tata Mandela is a Father of a Nation, South Africa, not father of a race or Continent.He is our ours but we have been sharing him with world.

I have never heared him being called Father of Africa ever, I think you are making this up. Hence South Africans black or white choose to call him "Tata" Xhosa meaning of Father. This is the language we understand and others choose to join us in calling him "Tata" mind you he is never called father in english or anything other language is this is reserved for his people not banning others to join in calling him Tata.

He is just loved in the world over but never claumed any position in the world except willingness to die for his people and his beloved country!

LONG LIVE THE SOUTH AFRICAN ICON!!!
LONG LIVE NELSON RHOLIHLAHLA MANDELA!!!

ZUBY77: Wole Soyinka is simply Jealous.
Hear me out first. We live on Earth where a lot of fields are generalized. Almost everything anyway.

Every year Fifa selects the best 11 players of the season from each position but FIFA still gives one person the BEST PLAYER FOR THE YEAR.

We understand that Soyinka is trying to differentiate between fiction and reality here but they are all part of literature.
Achebe wrote a book '' things fall apart'' and it became a hit. Although it was fiction but it represents what was happening between colonial white and Africans then.

So If foreign media and co said that ACHEBE is the father, then he is the father.

Some of you Yorubas should leave sentiments behind sometimes and face the fact.

texazzpete:

I thank God I am neither Igbo or Yoruba so I can make this statement without being tagged with a tribal brush.

You, my dear, are an imbecilic dolt!
You are one of the ignoramuses WS so aptly described in this interview. What does it matter if 'others' (who WS rightly calls 'misguided' or 'overcome with exuberance')called Achebe the 'father of African Literature'? The man himself never called himself that...nor did any of the major literary icons in Nigeria label him that. So what is this fascination with foisting such a title on him?





Freudian slip? YOU need to get over your jealousy and pettiness.




Nobody would ever call Elvis the 'Father of Rock and Roll'. Michael Jackson has never been called the 'father of Pop'.

shymexx:

Nelson Mandela has been called the "Father of Africa" in western media several times - and you and I know this. That's just disrespectful to the black skin, Africa and all the mighty/greats/legends who walked through that great continent. He isn't even the greatest of the post-colonial Africa.

gbadexy: Facts is there is rivalry between WS and achebe.
They aren't as close as he professes from his use of perhaps if achebe would come to his abeokuta den when he hosted gowon and co to the statement he credited to achebe saying WS isn't the asiwaju of literature just because he won nobel laureate in response to an unrelated political issue.
The man made good points and while I agree achebe is clannish, he may deserve the title of father of african literature. While it may seemingly appear that achebe is superior to WS, he too should take consolation as being the first black to be awarded the nobel laureate. They are both good in their genre so different title should be given to each to appease their ego just like the CAF footballer of the year and BBC equivalent to okocha or the ooni of ife and alaafin of your case.
We don't have to tribalise this and include it with the ojukwu/awolowo argument.

aribisala0: Vicarious Laureates,lol. Well if he can' be a laureate we might as well make him "Father".
Now some clown has said Father means he same as "king" ala Michael Jackson.
I am sure Achebe would be Most embarassed by all this.
Let us go back to the beginning who was it that first used this epithet and when?

According to the Telegraph Newsaper
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/father-of-modern-african-literature-achebe-82-dies-after-short-illness-8545670.html

In 2007, he won the Man Booker International Prize, where judge Nadine Gordimer dubbed him the “father of modern African literature”. NOT Father of African Literature. This distinction is important so that ; when people see it they ask what is "Modern African Literature" and so we do not disrespect our ancestors and the great literary legacies they bequeathed us

So there we have it; no less than a laureate who should know about this things but what
exactly is "Modern African Literaure" ? This is a term that needs defining.
Nadine Gordimer is entitled to call him Father and Wole Soyinka is entitle to disagree neither of which enhances or diminishes Achebe either in stature or achievement.

The question is ; is father used in the sense of a "pioneer" or in the sense of superiority or supremacy. I think the former is more likely to be the case considering Achebe's age and role in the African Writers series.Too I do not believe the idea of superiority or supremacy is one that holds sway among producers of literature,it is just too crass.

Winning or not winning awards is not a measure of this and judgement is usually passed long after the demise of the worker.
The problem for me is it seems to be accepted that somehow producing works in European languages is necessarily a good thing or he best thing for African literature and the way to measure quality .I disagree.The best African literature necessarily must be in Hausa ,Ijaw,Swahili,Zulu etc and this brings us back to the question what is "Modern African Literature"?

Honestly in my view any person who will be a "father of African Literature" must work in African languages otherwise they become a champion of a subset of English Literature French Literature etc. In fact one may argue that there is no such thing as "African" literature but literature produced by Africans
We have enough works to scan and judge for this purpose.
As far as European Language African literature goes ,what do those screaming here know about works by Africans in French,Afrikaans and Portuguese languages?

The truth is this Achebe was a good and very influential writer let us leave it at that.Any attempt to somehow crown him "primus inter pares" or more even among his contemporaries will fail