You are here : Home » Awo vs Achebe » Chinua Achebe had nothing personal against Awolowo, others — Ike, son June 23, 2013 at 12:43 am in Awo vs Achebe, Top Stories FacebookTwitterSMSWhatsApp By Uduma Kalu It was a big shock to many when the news came that renowned novelist and ceberated author of Things Fall Apart, Prof. Chinua Achebe, was dead. This was so as the controversy generated by his autobiography, ‘There Was a Country’, was still fresh. The book had narrated Achebe’s experience in the Biafran war, accusing some principal actors of genocide against Igbo people. Then, last December, Achebe was at his colloquium which hosted Lagos State governor, Mr. Raji Fashola, as keynote speaker. There was no hint that Achebe was ill. In fact, many of his admirers were waiting for him to respond to reactions triggered by claims in ‘There Was a Country’ . So when it was announced that the famous writer had passed on, tongues started wagging that, perhaps, the book’s controversy played a role. Theories about the cause of his death were many considering the fact no information indicated he was sick. Achebe was writing, lecturing, holding conferences, giving speeches, writing press statements, giving interviews. He was active, even after the 1990 accident that paralyzed him from waist down, and at 82. But a chance meeting with Achebe’s first son, Ike, days after his father’s burial, explained the cause of his father’s death. Ike linked his father’s death to the car accident he had in 1990 – 23 years ago. Achebe was rushing to Enugu to catch a flight to Lagos when he had an accident near Awka Anambra State. The car somersaulted and fell on top of Achebe, causing him serious injuries. This was months after the University of Nigeria, Nsukka hosted an international 60th birthday conference in his honour. Prof. Edith Ihekweazu, convener of the confab, also died the same year in an auto crash on her way back to Nsukka. It was a shocking experience to literary observers following the two accidents. While Edith, a German married to a Nigerian, died in her accident, doctors gave Achebe no chance of survival. When he eventually survived, doctors now said his days were numbered. All these happened when he had no grand children. “But Achebe lived 23 more years”, Ike said. In between the years, the cel

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Chinua Achebe had nothing personal against Awolowo, others — Ike, son
June 23, 2013 at 12:43 am in Awo vs Achebe, Top Stories FacebookTwitterSMSWhatsApp
By Uduma Kalu
It was a big shock to many when the news came that renowned novelist and ceberated author of Things Fall Apart, Prof. Chinua Achebe, was dead. This was so as the controversy generated by his autobiography, ‘There Was a Country’, was still fresh. The book had narrated Achebe’s experience in the Biafran war, accusing some principal actors of genocide against Igbo people.
Then, last December, Achebe was at his colloquium which hosted Lagos State governor, Mr. Raji Fashola, as keynote speaker. There was no hint that Achebe was ill. In fact, many of his admirers were waiting for him to respond to reactions triggered by claims in ‘There Was a Country’ . So when it was announced that the famous writer had passed on, tongues started wagging that, perhaps, the book’s controversy played a role.  Theories about the cause of his death were many considering the fact no information indicated he was sick. Achebe was writing, lecturing, holding conferences, giving speeches, writing press statements, giving interviews. He was active, even after the 1990 accident  that paralyzed him from waist down, and at 82.
But a chance meeting with Achebe’s first son, Ike, days after his father’s burial, explained the cause of his father’s death. Ike  linked his father’s death to the car accident he had in 1990 – 23 years ago. Achebe was rushing to Enugu to catch a flight to Lagos when he had an accident near Awka Anambra State.  The car somersaulted and fell on top of Achebe, causing him serious injuries. This was months after the University of Nigeria, Nsukka hosted an international 60th birthday conference in his honour.  Prof. Edith  Ihekweazu, convener of the confab, also died the same year in an auto crash on her way back to Nsukka. It was a shocking experience to literary observers following the two accidents.
While Edith, a German married to a Nigerian, died in her accident,  doctors gave Achebe no chance of survival. When he eventually survived, doctors now said his days were numbered. All these happened when he had no grand children. “But Achebe lived 23 more years”, Ike said.
In between the years, the celebrated author had about six grand children. He published several books, he kept working even till he died this year.
The son said Achebe’s was a very private family man, and so many people outside the family did not know the extent the accident affected his father’s health.
Even though he was treated after the accident, Ike said his father  had internal injuries which kept bringing problems,  coupled with the fact that he was paralyzed. The family, he said, was always with him. For many in the family, his death was not a shock but it would be for those not close to his father, he pointed out. But one thing he admired about his father was his courage. The father, Ike said, did not allow his accident to affect his work.
The poet vs the emperor – There Was a Country furore
On the controversy which There Was a Country generated, the son said it did not give his father any headache. His father, he said, would write a book and said it was for the readers to deal with. “When he wrote something, he would push it out. He would not go back to it. The book will be on its own. This was the case with The Trouble With Nigeria and when Awolowo died and the statement he made. He had just left the country. When he came back, after the burial, he wrote his comments.  And now his autobiography,” Ike said.  His father had nothing personal against any of those named, he went on. “He was only pained that millions of children died because of the actions of some people. My father would say that it was the job of the writer (the poet) to give the emperor headache.
It was  not the job of the poet to dine with the emperor. My father called it the poet versus the emperor. The poet, according to my father,  must constantly giv