₦airaland Forum

MetaPhysical:
Soyinka was judged the best in the world. He defeated literaries greater than Achebe. Who is Achebe where Soyinka is ? Knock it off!

you are digressing the intent of this thread. again, there is no such thing as "best in the world" with regards to literature. thank you.

MetaPhysical:
You are the insecured one. Achebe wrote good books...he was a good storyteller but he was not a creative artist. Period!

Nobel is looking for innovators...those who break the barriers of human knowledge in literature. Soyinka did that!

Ill ask you again, name one work of classic that Achebe created. Just one!

Abeg let your hero rest, stop ridiculing him on internet. You all should have told Reno to regard Achebe as untouchable, you did not do that and allowed him to desecrate his honors on social media. Let the man rest.

poetry and prose are both works of creativity.

quit the reverse psychology, nobody is desecrating anybody. thanks for your concern though.

MetaPhysical:
Nobel prize is about "creativity", not attributes.

yes you are right, Eurocentric creativity.

MetaPhysical:
The award is not given posthumously. There will never be a Nobel Prize for Achebe.

Every part of the world accepts Nobel Prize as a measure of excellence, except Achebe people who see it as irrelevant. Very funny.

again, I have never downplayed Soyinka's Nobel prize. save yourself the insecurity my brother.

kayfra:
You can't use eurocentrism to shade Soyinka's achievement. Knock it off

the Nobel club themselves aren't denying their Eurocentrism, its their prize after all.

MetaPhysical:

I knew it would come to this eventually. Soyinka was soft, Achebe was brave.

Is Ngozi soft for her Eurocentric appeal, and is it the softness that advances her internationally?

my brother, its NOT about who is brave or who is a coward (if that's what you mean).

its about approach. Achebe was forward and assertive while Soyinka was cunning and persuasive.

You don't have to make wrong assumptions. pls don't.

MetaPhysical:

I knew it would come to this eventually. Soyinka was soft, Achebe was brave.

Is Ngozi soft for her Eurocentric appeal, and is it the softness that advances her internationally?

my brother, its NOT about who is brave or who is a coward (if that's what you mean).

its about approach. Achebe was forward and assertive while Soyinka was cunning and persuasive.

You don't have to make wrong assumptions.

Basic123:
Achebe is not!

LITERATURE IS BEYOND PROSE AND POEM!

Nardine Gordimer, a NOBEL LAUREATE herself from south Africa, called Achebe the father of modern African "literature".

Achebe's works impacted NELSON MANDELA (a Nobel peace prize laureate), Maya Angelou, and other African greats.

let's put sentiments aside, Achebe did a job no one in his era would comfortably do - fight back racism against africa with the pen. he inspired a new generation of writers all over the world especially among Africans.

Soyinka is sincerely great. his works are charming and 'non-aggressive' towards europe. and he deserves a Nobel prize for it.

I love UI. yeah, i said it.

kayfra:
Nobel prizes are not based on popularity. It's not a popularity contest. Literary work is very subjective and you have the most subjective experts agreeing that Soyinka's work deserves the award and Achebe's not so deserving in spite of the popularity of his great work.

Let it end there. The two friends didn't butt heads while Achebe was alive.

you are right. it is not based on popularity. it is based on subjectivity, and in this case, subjective eurocentrism.

MetaPhysical:
Is the alphabet Achebe wrote the texts of his books in not Eurocentric? Did he write his works in Ibocentric alphabets, or Latin styled alphabets?

Get a grip and stop opening thread on issues you cannot win.

speaking English DOES NOT make you Eurocentric.

take it easy bro, you are getting emotional.

MetaPhysical:
True but literature is a description for genre of works in written arts, which include published books, poems, creative works, and can range from simple composition to a more noble range having superior merit to become classic.

Unlike Achebe's, a panel of reputable Judges with exposure in the field reviewed works from all over the globe and gave Soyinka the trophy for the most superior in the art of written works. With the award he beat scholars even of European descent. Its not a competition between Soyinka and Achebe.....its between Soyinka and the world, and he won it!

Now you are bitter that Yoruba won award for superiority in literature around the globe.

How many times has Achebe's work been nominated for Nobel Literature Prize?

you keep citing the Nobel prize as though it is the ultimate prize. it isnt. the prize (amongst other literature prizes) is not what makes the literature, rather it is the literature that makes the prize.

Africans, Asians, Americans, Arabs can also start their own mouthwatering legacy prize like the swede named Alfred Nobel did for Europe. Its a good and honorable thing, but it doesn't necessarily determine what should be literature and what shouldn't.

MetaPhysical:
If Achebe, not Soyinka, had won the prize your conclusions about the Nobel Prize will be different.

Many of you praise Ngozi Okonjo Iweala for her Eurocentric ideals and recognition around the world. Do you not?

When it is Ibo, Eurocentric is good, when it is others, Eurocentric is irrelevant.

Its the same mindset that make your brothers create parallel trade unions when leadership of mainstream organizations is occupied by non-Ibos. You have a problem taking orders from non-Ibos....but complain that you are barred from leadership. It shouldnt be too difficult to understand the root reason for your exclusion in affairs.

I have never ever downplayed Soyinka's Nobel prize. His works are one of the G.O.A.T just as that of achebe. What am saying is that his works on African literature is EUROCENTRIC. pls get my point.

Basic123:
My dear,you are the one speaking with emotion here.

so many non Europeans have won the Nobel prize,woke soyinka inclusive!

we are talking of literature not books!

Wole soyinka is a poet,drama writer, novelist,actor and stage director.He is an embodiment of literature!

1. when I said "Eurocentric", I didn't mean "non-european". They both mean different things.

2. both Achebe and Soyinka are embodiments of literature. there is no genre of literature that is better than the other.

3. in terms of popularity and reach, its Achebe. remember, he is often called "father of modern African LITERATURE", because of "things fall apart" and "criticism on Joseph Conrad's narrative about Africa"

for instance, the link posted below tries to explain what an embodiment of "LITERATURE" is. you don't have to be everything before you are being honored as the "father of modern African LITERATURE"

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/celebrating-life-literary-giant-chinua-achebe-works

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://qz.com/africa/1480548/chinua-achebes-things-fall-apart-at-60-and-african-english/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwj-0MGjqqDiAhXQbVAKHdyoCsU4ChCpAgglKAAwCQ&usg=AOvVaw1IVFtx8Vgk7womsp3c0h-u

as I stated earlier, Achebe and Soyinka are both embodiments of literature.

Basic123:
You are more biased towards Chinua Achebe


Woke soyinka is a guru in all genre of literature and not only eurocentric as postulated by you.Also, Nobel prize in any field is the highest world recognized award one can ever received in a field.


Do you know that wole soyinka is also a director,producer and actor.WOLE SOYINKA IS A LITERATURE PERSONIFIED!

Chinua Achebe is just a very good writer!
WOLE IS GREATER WHEN IT COMES TO LITERATURE....The committee that awarded him Nobel prize knows what they are doing and they don't care about what others think.

my dear brother, the Nobel prize, despite its prestige, is a Eurocentric prize, that is why literati like Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, Chinua achebe, etc whose works didn't blend with eurocentrism were ignored.

Secondly, between Achebe and Soyinka, non outshines the other in terms of works, but in terms of popularity, it is Achebe. Even Soyinka himself was quoted saying a literature enthuasist ran to him in excitement, when asked which of his works he has read, the man said "Things fall Apart".

till date, chinua Achebe's triology (especially "things fall apart"is often ranked as one of the best reads in the world.

NB: Nobel prize is not the best or highest prize on earth. speak with facts and not emotion.

RealLordZeus:
You forgot to add or maybe u intentionally left it out that "Wole Soyinka writes poem, prose and drama, while chinua Achebe mastery was in prose"

Achebe is also an award winning poet. he won the prestigious Magaret Wong prize in the 50s and Commonwealth poetry prize in the 70s. He has written many poems (e.g beware soul brother) you could see some in his last book, there was a country. His prose "things fall apart" has been adapted into drama. however, his strength lies in both prose and poetry.

Soyinka's prose "the interpreters" isn't well known nor received. So as I stated earlier, his firsts are poetry and drama.

Just a few days back, Reno Omokri set the social media ablaze when he placed Achebe's works over Soyinka. It wasn't funny, especially among the Yoruba folks who were Soyinka's kinsmen. Reno's post, despite how flattering it was for achebe's enthusiasts, was uncalled for anyway.

There are facts however, that shouldn't be dismissed in this discussion.

1. Soyinka is an undisputed literary icon in the world, same goes for Achebe.

2. Soyinka's literary strength lies in poetic abstractions while Achebe's literary strength lies in simplifying complexities.

3. Soyinka is first a poet-playwright, while Achebe is firstly a novelist cum poet. They both have been recognized internationally in these subgenres.

4. The Nobel Prize for literature is an outstandingly prestigious prize, while honorifics like "father of modern African literature" are based on global impact of ones work about Africa.

5. No prize or honorific determines who is above who in literature.

6. Soyinka conveyed African literature through Eurocentric appeals while Achebe conveyed African literature through Afrocentrism.

7. Soyinka's work has this persuasive charm while Achebe's works was unapologetically assertive.

summarily, Achebes works are more popular than Soyinka's work because most nations on earth can relate to its themes of forced societal change through colonization, while Soyinka works aestheically compares Yoruba worldview to European worldview, no wonder Soyinka is a professor of comparative literature.


CBC: lalasticlala

wiseone28:
I still stand on my statement..

Don't try to add us to your stupiid Biafra.

Believe anything you like.

why are you scared of something that isn't even there?

but however, if a Biafra eventually surfaces, akwaibom will be part of it. scream and curse for all I care, it will come to pass.

dem swear for una? why abia all the time?

Despite not being there yet, abia is still making great efforts commercially and educationally.

criticize constructively? by all means PLEASE DO.

but cursing and demonizing? nkita tagbuo kwe unu ng'ahu!
Translation: God bless you all.

Golden Guinea brewies, umuahia will commence FULL OPERATIONS by second quarter of this year, not first quarter as we previously thought.


https://www.google.com/url?q=https://brandspurng.com/2019/04/16/golden-guinea-dispels-rumours-of-commencement-of-full-operation/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiCm-DCw53iAhVFaVAKHZAxCxoQqQIICigAMAA&usg=AOvVaw2qNbX40CN_YZNxCa7s9bCg

by the way, it is "proof" not "prove", educated illiterate.

come let abians teach you so you can rewrite waec or jamb exams and pass. otondo.

our inroads are getting better.

op, you want traffic right? simply ask rather than demonizing.

haters of abia should go and rot.
no true abian will demonize his or her state.

whether jamb, waec, neco, we tower above the losers hating on abia.

abia isn't there yet, we have more state roads to renovate, more salaries to pay and more jobs to create. but we aren't doing badly when compared to most states in Nigeria.

Ihedioha2019:
Abia state is cursed. The state is yet to see a single development since 1999. Umuahia is a glorified village, Aba is a disgusting dilapidated filthy sewage pit toilet filled with bad roads and filth. I am from Abia state and i want a change in my state.

1. you are not from abia state.

2. your village is cursed.

3. it's not by force for APC or APGA to rule abia state.

4. posting old (and even non-abia) pictures won't help your pathetic life.

5. if abia isn't important, nobody will talk about it.

6. My abia state rocks in education and commerce. it is also improving in road infrastructure.

7. leave abia and face your useless state.

ChristianNorth:
Try to comprehend before displaying foolishness online.

I said AKS is the only non-Igboid state with the strongest IPOB followership.

AKS has more followership than Cross Rivers and Bayelsa.

The proportion of Abia-AKS marriage is higher than theirs with the Ijaws, Efiks and Edos. I think only with Yorubas is higher.

you are very correct. abriba igbos have ancestral links to ibibio people. secondly, abia and akwaibom intermarry a lot.

Thank God for this thread.

Abia, IMO, Enugu, Anambara, all at one point in time or the other in the past, achieved some degree of infrastructural development in their states. The question is - were they maintained and upgraded? I hope Ebonyi maintains this good feat.

By the way, Abia (and IMO) are holding the fort in maintaining educational success.


https://punchng.com/imo-abia-osun-top-utme-jamb-blacklists-116-centres/

dyydxx:
Oga you are the one supremely lost. You guys always claim the delta igbos aren't full igbos but because these ones are successful they are full blown igbos. Pick a narrative and stick to it.

who are the alleged claimers? you keep twisting facts.

it was you "sanballats and Tobias" who tried dividing igboland with south south VS southeast mantra.

get this - Igbo are indigenous to both the SE and SS zones.

dyydxx:
Oyedepo is Yoruba, doesn't matter he is from Kwara. I know folks here like to claim ovia and elumelu are Igbo but it seems they are Delta Igbo or claim Delta state.

you keep contradicting yourself.

so oyedepo is now Yoruba despite being from kwara, a north central state? but tony onyemaechi elumelu is not Igbo because he is from delta state south-south?

elumelu himself is proud of his Igbo roots and you are here saying we Igbo "like to claim" elumelu. you are indeed lost.

Chestbeaters:
U are a joke

if you understand my sarcasm, you would know how stupid those countering the igboness of elumelu because he is from delta state.

Las las e go beta.
Abia must get their basic infrastructure right. roads, drainages, etc
Anambra must not relent in their urban renewal
Ebonyi must find a way to leave poverty
Enugu must engage in massive rural development
IMO must complete their urbanization projects.
obigbo in rivers must push for urbanization in their communities
anioma needs better roads and electrification.