Celebrating Things Fall Apart@60
Things Fall Apart is 60. To mark the
Diamond Jubilee, the literary world inspired by the Christie and Chinua Achebe
Foundation will celebrate the widely-read novel written by the late Prof Chinua
Achebe. But, unlike when it clocked 50, the book will be celebrated in Nigeria,
the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Asia and nine African countries
between this month and December, EVELYN OSAGIE writes.
The widely-celebrated novel, Things
Fall Apart, written by the late Prof Chinua Achebe is 60. Published in
1958, the epic book is said to be the beginning of modern African novel in
English, and has continued to receive global acclaim.
Sixty years after it was published
by William Heinemann Limited in the United Kingdom, the book is set to unite
writers from across the globe.
While politics and religion are
threatening to split the country, literature is a unifying force for the
nation, according to the Chairman of the TFA@60 Africa Organising Committee, Dr
Wale Okediran.
“Literature unites this country. As
you can also see, through Achebe’s iconic offerings, we’re uniting Nigeria with
the five-city celebration of activities. Nobody should divide us by trying to
plant discord among us. We should not allow whatever is happening to dampen our
enthusiasm for literature, as it has its own impetus.
“Literature is as important as
politics, econonomy, banking, etc. Don’t forget, the best literature comes out
of the time of great distress. We are using it to celebrate our pioneers of
literature. We will also use the celebration to immerse our children in the
literary tradition. Penguin will do reproduction of Things Fall Apart;
so, the economics is another aspect of the celebration,” Okediran, a former
House of Representatives’ member, said.
In 2008, when the book clocked 50,
writers across the world, including their counterparts in Nigeria under the
auspices of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), held year-long literary
festivities to mark the book’s silver jubilee. The 60th anniversary, which
is being spearheaded by the Christie and Chinua Achebe Foundation, will be no
less different but has a little twist.
Beginning from this month till
December, Okediran stated, the train of activities will travel across five
cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Sokoto with the grand finale at the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka) with ANA leading the way. The activities will
include symposia to children’s carnival, writing competition, stage
presentations of Things Fall Apart and a grand finale with a night of tributes.
It will also move round nine other
African countries, including South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Togo, Uganda,
Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Togo.
He said: “As a consequence of the
global acceptance of the book and its author, it becomes very imperative to
celebrate the diamond anniversary of the publication of this very important
novel with a colloquium and other literary activities in Nigeria and nine other
African countries.”
On the global front, the train will
move round the United Kingdom, United States, Latin America, Canada and Asia.
The five-city transnational events,
according to the organisers, “will also be celebrating the works of one of
Africa’s most outstanding writers and the achievements, friendships,
partnerships and challenges of African literature this past 60 years”.
A five-man Africa organising
committee to be headed by Okediran will be overseeing the organisation of the
event in Nigeria and other African countries, while local organising committees
in the five centres in Nigeria and other African countries will also be
constituted, he said.
With the celebrations in mind, The
Christie and Chinua Achebe Foundation, has invited abstracts for 15-to
20-minute presentations during the International Conference to celebrate the
book’s anniversary. The conference will hold at five various centres in
Nigeria – Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Sokoto, and Nsukka and in the nine other
African countries.
The abstracts, not exceeding 200
words, would be on any of the sub-themes, such as ‘Conflict Generation
and Resolution in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’ ‘African Literature after
Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’ ‘The Achebe Spirit in the Emergence of Modern
African Literature,’ ‘Managing Changes and Transitions in a Pluralised Society:
Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in Reference,’ ‘Africa at the Crossroads of
Development and Good Governance: What Has Literature Got To Do With It?’
‘Traditionalism versus modernism in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’
‘Sexualities and subjectivities: Women in Achebe’s Novels,’ ‘Imagining a New
Africa: The Rhetoric of Transformation in Literature and Oratory,’ ‘The
Dialectics and Symbolism of Things Fall Apart,’ ‘Prophesy and Poetry in the
works of Chinua Achebe,’ ‘Culture, Nationalism and the African Writer,’ and
‘Literary Influences, Impacts and Imitations across Generations.’
At the end, papers presented will be
edited and published into a book that will fossilise the gains of the
celebration of the book’s contribution to the contemporary discourse on
African literature, 60 after Things Fall Apart.
All abstracts should be submitted
electronically to: Things Fall Apart60@yahoo.com and copied to
waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk. The deadline for submission of abstracts: March 15;
notification for abstracts acceptance; March 30; and full paper submission
deadline: May 30.
A literary competition will be
organised for secondary school pupils in the five centres. The contest will be
organised with the provision of copies of Things Fall Apart for the
pupils to read for one month before the competition, which will be in the form
of a quiz, reading comprehension and one act dramatic enactment of any part of
the book by participating schools.
http://thenationonlineng.net/celebrating-things-fall-apart60/
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