The African Studies Association has established the ASA Christie and Chinua Achebe Fund, launching two initiatives that honor the celebrated Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe and his wife, educator Dr. Christie Achebe. The fund will support a new biennial lecture series and an annual prize for unpublished literary manuscripts.

The Chinua Achebe Distinguished Lecture will showcase humanistic scholarship alongside creative industries spanning architecture, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, visual arts, and literature. Set to debut at the 2026 ASA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, the series continues Achebe’s work of amplifying African perspectives in global creative and scholarly discourse.

Each year, the Chinua Achebe Manuscript Prize will honor outstanding unpublished Africana literary work. Prize recipients will have their manuscripts considered for publication through Penguin Press’s Chinua Achebe Imprint, providing emerging authors with a major publishing opportunity. Applications open in late 2026, with the first award cycle beginning in 2027.

Drs. Christie, Chinelo, Ikechukwu, Chidi, and Nwando Achebe provided the founding gift for the fund. The initiative celebrates both Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), regarded as the father of modern African literature, and Dr. Christie Chinwe Achebe, a pioneering scholar who became the first woman President of the Nigerian Counseling Association in 1988. Their shared dedication to education, narrative, and advancing African voices has shaped multiple generations of writers and thinkers.

Achebe’s 1958 novel Things Fall Apart reached audiences in 57 languages and millions of readers globally. His body of work, encompassing novels, stories, poetry, essays, and children’s literature, reshaped world literature by centering African experiences and humanity. As the ASA notes, “Through its lyrical power and moral clarity, Achebe re-centered Africa within the global imagination, asserting the dignity and humanity of African life.” This new fund extends his vision of supporting African storytellers into the future.