Achebe

Tag Archives: Achebe

Features, Stories and Poems May 21, 2014

A Character in Achebe’s Novel I’d Love to Meet and Why

I’ve always been uneasy about Unoka’s death. Unoka is the father of Okonkwo, the principal character in Achebe’s 1958 classic, Things Fall Apart. He is thought to be a lazy man because he loved making music instead of farming yams. He falls ill with a wasting disease. One day, he is taken out of his […]

The Irreverent Critic: Interview with Ikhide Ikheloa

It is inappropriate to judge African writing with the poverty porn that is hawked for profit by writers like Uwem Akpan and Chris Abani. — Ikhide Ikheloa Two weeks ago, I emailed Nigerian literary critic, Ikhide Ikheloa, a list of questions that covered everything from African publishing to sex in African novels. Read and enjoy his deeply reflective […]

POW! WOW!: How Do You Imagine Africa?

There’s been much talk about Everyday Africa, a Tumblr photo journal of Ivorians as they go about their ordinary everyday tasks. The photos in the collection are captivating even as they make the simple claim that Africa need not be thought of as exceptionally bad or good. Africa just is. When I think about it like […]

Ranting of a Twitting Twat: Silly Habits of The Novel

Novels take time to write and way more time to read. They take themselves seriously. If there is one thing they love more than telling stories it is teaching. Never mind that at different points in history, certain kinds of novels have come along and wailed, “Oh, teaching is for creeps. We do not teach. […]