Chinua Achebe, best-selling Nigerian novelist of Things Fall Apart, answered questions recently about the latest violence near Jos. Asked if things are now falling apart in Nigeria because of Muslim extremism, he says yes, “but (it) is other things as well. “ He blames authorizes for not addressing the issue, and accuses the Acting President Jonathan Goodluck of not bringing what his name implies. “A strong man in any position in Nigeria should be horrified by what happened in Jos. Shamed is what we should feel. We don’t seem to have any government.”
Asked why he and other Nigerians live out of Africa, from his wheelchair he says, “If you were in Nigeria and had cause to go to a hospital or to see a doctor, you would then immediately understand why so many people are abroad.” Maybe it’s time for him to meet Drs. Chris or Mercy at Faith Alive.
My favorite Q&A from this nearly 80 year-old author made me smile.
“Are you still writing every day? What are you working on?”
“I’m working on this interview.”
Click here to read the interview in yesterday’s New York Times.
That book was required reading for my semester abroad to Ghana.
ReplyDeleteAustin had to read it for AP Lit. I, on the other hand, read it voluntarily and learned a lot about Nigerian culture.
ReplyDeleteWhat were you doing in Ghana?