Concetti Chiave
- Chinua Achebe was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1930, in an Ibo community, to missionary teachers.
- He attended University College in Ibadan and obtained a B.A. from London University in 1953.
- His career began at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, where he worked until 1966.
- Achebe was actively involved in political missions during the Nigerian Civil War, representing Biafra in Europe and the U.S.
- Known for works like "Things Fall Apart," Achebe's writing often addresses themes of colonial impact and post-colonial corruption.
What was the early life and education like?
Chinua Achebe was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1930, the son of missionary teachers in an Ibo community. He attended the University College in Ibadan from 1948 tp 1953. He then received a B.A. from London University in 1953. After teaching for a few months, he joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in Lagos, where he remained until 1966. This job gave him the opportunity to travel abroad and in Africa, which enabled him to discover his own past traditions.
Career and political involvement
In 1966, on the eve of the Civil War, he left Lagos and went to live among the Ibo to be near his people. When his region, now called Biafra, separated from the federation of Nigeria, he was sent to Europe and the U.S on political missions on behalf of the Biafran cause.
In 1969 he took part in the peace negotiation which would lead to Biafra's surrender in 1970. In 1972 he was invited to U.S, where he taught at the universities of Massachusetts, Connecticut and others.
In 1983 he accepted the honorary title of Deputy President of the People's Redemption Party, the first political party in Nigeria. His best- known works include Things fall Apart (1958) and Anthills of the Savannah (1988). Nowadays Achebe is considered not only the best Nigerian novelist but one of the best novelists writing in English. When he started writing he felt that his duty was to restore dignity to his own people. He also believed that a novelist have a social commitment and that "any good story, any good novel, should have a message, should have a purpose" since "art is, and always was, at the service of man" (Morning Yet on Creation Day, Heinemann, London, 1977).
In his novels he is above all concerned with two themes: one, connected with the colonial period of Nigeria, regards the destruction of the old values and traditions brought about by the coming of the Europeans; the other,linked to post- colonial times, denounces the corruption and inefficiency still present in the country after independence.
Domande da interrogazione
- What was Chinua Achebe's educational background and early career?
- How did Chinua Achebe contribute to the Biafran cause during the Nigerian Civil War?
- What are the main themes in Chinua Achebe's novels, and what was his perspective on the role of a novelist?
Chinua Achebe was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1930 and attended University College in Ibadan from 1948 to 1953, earning a B.A. from London University in 1953. He briefly taught before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in Lagos, which allowed him to travel and explore his cultural heritage.
During the Nigerian Civil War, Achebe left Lagos to be with the Ibo people and was involved in political missions to Europe and the U.S. on behalf of Biafra. He participated in peace negotiations leading to Biafra's surrender in 1970.
Achebe's novels focus on the destruction of traditional values during the colonial period and the corruption in post-colonial Nigeria. He believed a novelist should have a social commitment, with stories conveying a message and purpose, as art serves humanity.
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