Chinua Achebe shall never fall apart.

 Chinua Achebe - a  great writer and intellectual passed away a couple of weeks ago. His works on the impact of colonialism on indigenous culture and civilization have been monumental. His death is a big loss not only for the African continent but the entire world.


“Things fall apart” has been sold in millions of copies across the planet. The description on the cover of the book says it all:

“A simple story of a “strong man” whose life is dominated by fear and anger, Things fall apart is written with remarkable economy and subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe´s keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.”

This is indeed a literary master piece published in 1959 in the eve of Nigerian independence and before the Biafra civil war erupted. Decolonizing the mind and feeling a strong sense of belonging in one´s own language and culture is something that I attribute to most of African writers like Ngùgí WA Thiong ´o and Chinua Achebe.

I have to admit that I did not get that impression when I first read the book back in the days when I was young, naïve and a bit bewildered in Babylon. I of course understand and experience the work in a new light now. This is one of the good things with getting old or aging. A middle-aged man on the making is a bit frightening but as long as I keep on reading, I feel on the top of the world and forever young.

A fatal car accident made Achebe paralyzed in the beginning of the 1990s but his excellent contribution in literature continued unabated. He was a true son of Africa who will be missed for ever.

Other people have also died recently like the great Hugo Chavez of Venezuela who on his own literally liberated Latin America from the yoke of USA´s neo-colonialism.

South America used to be America´s backyard and military coups were the order of the day as recently as a decade or so ago. South America is a different place now and Hugo deserves much of the credit in combination with the brave brothers and sisters in that continent.

The song “Ding dong thank God the witch is dead” made it to second place on the BBC charter but it was barely played on the Radio as Margaret Thatcher –Maggie – the iron lady remains a divisive figure as much as in life as in death.

I am not a great fan of celebrating people´s death as it is entirely unacceptable in Eritrean culture even when your worst enemy dies. I just wished Hugo had as long life as Margaret.

Some people die too early. Great black leaders, musicians and intellectuals like Frantz fanon, Walter Rodney, Steve Biko, Kwame Toure who was known as Stokley Carmichael first, Thomas Sankara, Martin Luther King junior, Malcolm X, Patrice Lumumba, Kabral, Nkrumah, Marshal, Samora Michel and all the leaders of black panthers and many others have unfortunately left us too young.

I pray for all of them to rest in peace.