₦airaland Forum

She may have a point. Just take a minute to read some of the comments from many of the posters on Nairaland. You would think they are illiterate as well.

Nigerians sure enjoy like to arguing about a bunch of hoopla.

Chinua Achebe never considered himself the "Father of Modern African Literature."

He was given that title, by people around the world who admired his work. It doesn't matter if they were from North America, Europe, Asia or Africa.

To be frank, I would never compare Wole Soyinka with Chinua Achebe. One is a master playwright and the other is a master novelist. In this world, novels or should I say storytellers are ranked higher than playwrights, rightly or wrongly. But it is hard to compare the two. Let us just celebrate both of these illustrious authors.

I shall reiterate you cannot COMPARE Chinua Achebe with Wole Soyinka.

Their prose are different and the fact that some of you are arguing about this simply show you do not understand literature.

How can you compare novels with drama?

Or should I say how can you compare a novelist with a playwright? It cannot be done.

Look what I found when I typed in "Father of African Literature."

'Father of modern African literature' Achebe, 82, dies after short illness

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

The father of Africa’s literary legacy

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-father-of-africas-literary-legacy/article4538831.ece

Chinua Achebe, 'the father of modern African literature', talks to Ed Pilkington about inventing a new language, his years in exile from his beloved Nigeria - and why he changed his name from Albert

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jul/10/chinuaachebe

Father of African literature, Chinua Achebe dies at age 82 - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/obituaries/ci_22852931/father-african-literature#ixzz2TlRfI9FU

I think the most tragic story concerning one of Africa's literary masters is the story of Christopher Okigbo.

This man had such a bright future and could of been compared to greats like Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe.

Unfortunately war ended his short life. Now that is truly the tragic story. I hope one day, someone may find a lost treasure trove of his poetry. That would be a benefit for all of mankind.

It is very hard to compare Chinua Achebe with Wole Soyinka.

If one is to read a novel by Chinua Achebe, you notice that you become engrossed into the book. It shows that he is a master storyteller.

And let me be honest, it took me a while to appreciate Wole Soyinka's literary masterpieces. When I read his work in high school, his work was like reading an African Shakespeare. It took me going to college and reading his work again to appreciate his style. His work is also good for plays just like Shakespeare.

So I think it is safe to say that Chinua Achebe is the Father of Africa's Modern Literature, but Wole Soyinka is like Africa's Shakespeare. But this is just my humble opinion.

Chinua Achebe never considered himself the "Father of African Literature." His many admirers gave him that title.

I wish Wole Soyinka would have said this while Chinua Achebe was alive. Even though Mr. Soyinka made some valid points in his interview, I do detect a hint of jealousy.

The title of this thread is highly misleading.

It should be read, Nigerian Civil War Soldiers Protest In Ibadan.

Lagos has come far under Fashola's guiding hand, but more needs to be done!

I want to see Lagos rivaling Sao Paulo, Singpore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Sao Paulo -

[img]http://2.bp..com/--ofRGOWmCUE/Tx7jIL8NSCI/AAAAAAAAC68/iB5NuOG0Njg/s1600/Sao-Paulo-1.jpg[/img]

Well Rome was not built in a day...

Some people just do not know what to do with their money.

Why not buy a business and multiply their wealth? While at the same time employing others.

I have nothing but respect for Dangote and his business acumen and as a titan of industry, but I fear that he is monopolizing certain industries in Nigeria.

I believe in competition, which spurs growth and lowers prices.

It is really hard to compare Lagos with a population of over 7 million people with Uyo that only has a population of no more than 500,000 people. And I am not talking about the entire metropolitan area.

Can't we just celebrate the growth of both cities?

A very picturesque city.

But what are the industries besides oil?

Lagos is a truly cosmopolitan city.

Hopefully one day it can rival Tokyo, Hong Kong, London or even Dubai.

Now this is the Lagos I remember!

Eko o ni baje! O ba je ti!

The South West should not simply rely on cocoa, but also focus on manufacturing and other agribusinesses as well. Having a diversity of industries lead to job growth and prevents a shock to your system when prices for a particular product fall.

redsun: Oh yeah!!!.At this time and age,they still haven't learnt about the dangers and indignity of bleaching.

It is very sad when you think about it.

tpia@:
the bolded is not possible.

I do not doubt the statistics. But even if the statistics are slightly exaggerated, there is a still problem that needs to be addressed. And that problem is self hate.

Nigerians really need to listen to this song.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTNuwV7NFHM

Nigeria sees boom in skin-bleaching products

More than 70 percent of Nigerian women admit use of whitening products, more than any other nation.

In Nigeria, a growing number of men and women are using skin whitening creams because they believe a fairer complexion will help them succeed in life.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 70 percent of Nigerian women admit they use such products despite the health hazards. That compares with 59 percent in Togo, and 27 in Senegal.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow reports from Lagos.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2013/04/20134434151827719.html

To many Black Americans, Chinua Achebe's novel was our first experience with Africa.

I was saddened to hear of his passing, but his novels will give him immortality.

This is definitely good development. I hope Nigeria becomes a tech hub instead of being synonymous with 419.

I have noticed that Yorubas and Igbos are only united when someone from another country insults Nigeria. That is when your fangs come out and you all join in brotherhood and sisterhood. When that common enemy is gone, some of you revert back to your tribalistic ways.

Do Nigerians enjoy mocking other groups and each other? I can understand if it is in jest, but some of you take it way too far.

omonnakoda: do you know what a tribe is

I hate the term "tribe" when used in the African context. I prefer to hear ethnic group. But I have heard of A Tribe Call Quest.

This is what I like to read about from Nigeria. Positive news like this just makes my day.

Tech hub working on 'Nigeria's next big idea'

By Errol Barnett, CNN

https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130320170238-cc-hub-rooftop-horizontal-gallery.jpg

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Fingers tickle keyboards fastidiously, bright-colored walls boast signs reading "We Code Hard," and an idle foosball table waits for its next contenders. These are all signs you've entered a place for passionate tech enthusiasts. But if 'Bosun Tijani has his way, this is where Nigeria's next great idea will be born.

Tijani is co-founder of the Co-Creation Hub -- or CcHub -- in Lagos, part of a 21st-century technology movement sweeping the African continent.

Similar to Kenya's iHub and the newly opened Jozi Hub in South Africa, Nigeria's version also creates a state-of-the-art space for like-minded people to collaborate and innovate. The CcHub, though, aims to stand out from the pack with its focus on social responsibility.

New smartphones and tablet computers may be trendy, says Tijani, but they're more powerful when harnessed in a way that improves healthcare, increases voter registration or "bridges the gap between citizens and government." Tackling that last concept is Oluseun Onigbinde, an original paying member of this innovation space and creator of the data-visualization site YourBudgIT.com.

Onigbinde and his team have built colorful infographics explaining the highly complex, and some might say boring, Nigerian federal financial system.

In one area, users can click through an animated display showing tiles sized relative to each and every government expense. If you click on a tile, like the Ministry of Education for example, additional breakdowns emerge showing how its money is divided. All of the information is current, some is displayed as maps or pie charts, and one section even allows users to experiment with increasing and decreasing specific funds.

"Most people never went to school to do public finance or economics," says Onigbinde, "so you're [helping] people understand these things" that are important to everyday life.

Other developers, like Sola Ajayi, have their sights set on mobile phone applications. Ajayi created Efiko (which means bookworm) -- a multi-platform app of timed quizzes with shareable results aimed at secondary school students.

Even young filmmakers enjoy coming to the CcHub to network with tech-savvy developers who might be able to help with movie editing or special effects software.

The seemingly limitless potential of the CcHub made it a popular pillar of Nigeria's first ever Social Media Week. The global conference, which last month took place simultaneously in 10 cities stretching from New York to Tokyo, attracted entrepreneurs, investors, academics and government officials.

Nigeria was the only African country to host an SMW event, and according to its global organizers, Lagos was the third "most social" city out of the entire bunch.

Tijani's excitement, and exhaustion, during the event was evident as dozens of eager outsiders walked through the CcHub's workspace and filled its rooftop lounge. Understandable when you consider he and his team also squeezed in an hours-long meeting with Intel executives interested in what these young Nigerians are doing.

CcHub's founders chose a central location for the hub because of a well thought out long-term strategy. It sits near the University of Lagos, so Nigerian students can easily visit, close to a design school so creative artists feel welcome, and down the street from more than a dozen tech startup companies so they can connect physically with like-minded entrepreneurs.

Tijani says the next step is to convince the regional government to install fiber optic cables on surrounding streets and free Wi-Fi access to anyone within the hub's vicinity. He's confident it will happen, feeling optimistic as he looks over Lagos. "Building solutions," he says, "that's what this is about."

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/22/tech/innovation/nigeria-cc-hub/index.html?hpt=iaf_t4

shymexx: However, W.E.B wasn't really an "African" per se and most would argue that there's no way "Souls of Black Folk" could give that quintessentially African spiritualism that's a derivative from our unique cultures and traditions..

I disagree with your W.E.B. Du Boise comment. He saw himself as African. The man even died and was buried in Ghana. "Souls of Black Folk" gives an amalgamation of what it means to have African spiritualism.

That is why many black churches across the globe sings the old negro spirituals that helped Black Americans survive the horrors of slavery.

White007: Going by what you wrote above, looks like you neither Yoruba nor Igbo. Am i right? If yes, where 're you from? #justAsking

I will simply say that my father is Nigerian and my mother is Black American. To be honest, it pains me to see the level of tribalism being displayed Nairaland for all the world to see.

I guess educating young African minds is not considered development.

I guess not defending Africa's humanity when European authors treated Africans as sub-human is not considered development.

omonnakoda: The same? Hmm. You know which animal kills snakes the most? Yea! Snakes.
I have no problem living among Eboans. We are not the same though and one must always be prepared to chastise when they become unruly as is their wont.

You all are the same. What makes you different? It is not your DNA, because I am guessing if you take the DNA of an Igbo man and compare it with a Yoruba man, 99.9% would be the same. You all bleed the same. And there is not much distance between your respective land compared to other groups of people. I even heard that your languages are similar. So how are both groups are different?

omonnakoda: when people ask you Yoruba or Ebo they are trying to establish if you are a gentleman or a scoundrel as the case may be

Is that all you got from my post? Say no to tribalism, because it rots your brain. In my eyes, Igbos and Yorubas are all the same to me. Black skin with a strong sense of pride.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnIl1kiShfY

I know some people may hate this, but this is just my humble observation. The Igbos and the Yorubas are more similar than they are different. Both groups value education, a peaceful environment, as well as they are both industrious. There is a reason why the first words out of people mouth around the world who have encountered Nigerians ask if you are Yoruba or Igbo. Probably much to the chagrin of members of the smaller ethnic groups.

If you all put more of your attention to building an alliance with each other, Southern Nigeria as a whole would progress. Unfortunately, many members out of both groups think outside of their rears and are moved by raw emotion and not rationality.