[The Left Forum]
“Chinua Achebe. His Life. His Legacy. ”
Friends: This year we remember the poet, novelist, professor and critic, Chinua Achebe, whose contributions to the world of literature turned European scholarship on its head. Achebe not only produced great writing but he was uncompromising in his critical view of Africa and specifically Nigeria today.
He earned the wrath of western academics when he wrote that Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness, was a “bloody racist.” He took on the Nigerian elite, divorced from the intellect “but for two things: status and stomach. And if there’s any danger that he might suffer official displeasure or lose his job, he would prefer to turn a blind eye to what is happening around him.”
Fondly called the “grandfather of Nigerian literature” Achebe died after a short illness on March 21, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. The New York Times described him in his obituary as “one of Africa’s most widely read novelists and one of the continent’s towering men of letters.”
The BBC wrote that he was “revered throughout the world for his depiction of life in Africa”.
Our panel will look at Achebe from an African and Diasporic perspective. How did Achebe influence social justice and literary activism in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and the Caribbean? Please join us for this important discussion.
Date: Sunday, June 9
Venue: Pace University, One Pace Plaza, NYC
Time: 12 – 1:50 p.m. , Rm. 619
Speakers: Okey Ndibe, Horace Campbell, Milton Allimadi, Rudolf Okonkwo and Betty Wambui.
Moderator will be Sowore Omoyele, founder and publisher of Sahara Reporters Media Group. Poetry by Fungai Maboreke For more information on the panelists and to register, visit www.leftforum.org and our link at:
• www.leftforum.org/content/chinua-achebe-his-life-his-legacy
• Registration at the conference is required! One day passes and student rates are available.
