"All our gods are weeping.
Idemili is weeping. Ogwugwu is weeping. Agbala is weeping. All the others are
weeping. Our dead fathers are weeping..."
From the novel, Things Fall Apart.
It's been
reported in Nigeria this week that an original copy of Achebe's glorious novel,
Things Fall Apart was purchased for
the sum of one (1) million Naira by auction.
The details
were done via Twitter, orchestrated by Lola Shoneyin, a famous Nigerian
novelist and poet. The purchaser of the novel was "anonymous" at
least initially.
Since it was
published in 1958, the global fame and renown of Things Fall Apart has been amplified. It is by far the greatest
best-selling novel ever written by any African.
The African
past, pre-colonial ambience, pertinent mores, and of course the ravaging
effects of colonialism are brilliantly re-created in the work. Primarily the
novel tells the story of the tragedy of Okonkwo, main protagonist in old
Umuofia.
Remarkably, Igbo, African proverbs, "quaint customs", wise saws et al hold sway. The novel has been admired and studied all over the world for many decades with thousands of reviews of the book appearing worldwide.
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- O Bolaji
