The great man was (or is?) in London to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Things Fall Apart, and I had the honor of seeing him at a reading at Foyles bookstore at charing cross; it was a sedate affair, a reminder that as much as to us ‘literati’ these people are earthshaking – we are always in a minority amongst the hoi polloi. Achebe answered questions on all the above politely, and took questions from the audience, including yours truly: there was a quote by Maya Jaggi (the lady asking questions) that Achebe had made saying the trouble with Nigeria was its leaders. I asked it if were not the case of the people as well being deficient in someway; the father of modern African literature replied, that the people never sought leadership or made any promises, whereas the leaders did. I begged to disagree, but it wasn’t the place. On this occasion I was one of those annoying people who ask two questions in one - I asked what he made of evangelical Christianity’s sweep in Nigeria, and found we both agreed that it was a symptom of the economic and social malaise in the country. So, at least he was right on one thing. I’m not sure who said people get the leaders they deserve – but in the case of Nigeria, perhaps it’s true.
I think underlying Achebe’s reply is/was an expectation of benevolent paternalism from our leaders without the vigilance of the people. In a way, that was the naïve hope of his generation, and maybe mine and the generation that comes after especially those in Nigeria will be/are less blinkered and more active in demanding the kind of government and change they want. Things Fall Apart – it’s still a great book fifty years on.
Achebe – at Foyles’ highlight
Audience member: As a writer of fiction, fifty years on, is there anything you wished you could change about the book, (Things Fall Apart)?
Achebe: No. (to audience laughter)
Achebe: I just feel, if you want to change something, write another book!
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