Today has been declared a public holiday by the Nigerian Government to mark Democracy Day. May 29 used to be the Democracy Day until the then President Muhammadu Buhari put forward June 12 as the real McCoy. The greatest piece…
A toast to Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” @ 65 — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
It is astounding that Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is still so relevant across the globe at 65 years of age. Things Fall Apart was first published on June 17, 1958, by William Heinemann, London, and contains only 50,380 words, but it…
Global conquest of Nigerian literature
I can never get tired of celebrating Nigerian literature, arguably Nigeria’s greatest gift to the world. The politics of Nigeria is a disaster that makes the whole wide world laugh at the so-called “Giant of Africa”. Aside from creative literature,…
64 toasts to “Things Fall Apart” -Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
This year marks the 64th birthday anniversary of the iconic novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart was first published on June 17, 1958 by William Heinemann, London, and contains only 50,380 words, but it has packed…
Alhaji Abdulaziz Ude (1940-2021): A Tribute -Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
Fate was at work to ensure that my last meeting with Alhaji Abdulaziz Chivuzor Ude happened after he had been to an art exhibition. The devoted art patron was walking alone, without attendants or courtiers or whatever in the open…
We can fix the trouble with Nigeria -Ehi Braimah
Famous novelist, poet and critic, Chinua Achebe (1930 – 2013) was widely regarded for his magnum opus, Things Fall Apart, his first novel, which has been translated into several languages. Even in death, Achebe is still standing tall and he…
A letter to Chinua Achebe in the grave -Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
Nna-anyi, this will definitely not be a long letter, especially now that I am writing to you inside the earth of the ancestors. I like my things short and sharp like Things Fall Apart, not long and heavy for I’m…
Mbaka’s timely stitch in history and fiction – Isidore Emeka Uzoatu
While historical comparisons can come off the cuff, it’s never easy to compare the living with the fictional. And there is a simple explanation to this. First is the truism that whereas the one has God’s blood flowing through their…
Let Nigeria’s name be changed to Unoka – Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
There is need for an urgent name-change for our dear country Nigeria. Countries are known to do baptism, as in change of name, to bring good fortune to the long-suffering land. There used to be a country called Gold Coast…
Who Wrote Things Fall Apart? – Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
It all started at the local secondary school in Ndiorumbe when the literature teacher, Holy Nwankpi, asked his students: “Who wrote Things Fall Apart?” The first student pleaded his innocence thusly: “I didn’t write it-o!” Another student pointed an accusing…