Ten years after Chinua Achebe’s passing, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) yesterday rounded up its two-day commemoration of his life and legacy.
The memorial service, held at the Chinua Achebe International Conference Centre (CAICC) in Abuja’s Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village’s, was held to honour the man considered the founder of African literature.
Speaking at the event, Vice-Chancellor University of Abuja, Professor ABdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, while emphasising the importance of the event, said that Chinua Achebe, through his books, was immortalized and was worthy of celebration even ten years after his death.
He said that “the importance of events like this for Nigerians is to remember to celebrate Nigerian legends who made a name for themselves. They might have died, but they are immortals, and Chinua Achebe is one of them.”
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The Vice-Chancellor also reiterated that if Achebe were to be alive, he would be proud of how vast and far Nigerian literature had grown.
President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Camilus Ukah, also said he was honoured to be able to commemorate the life and legacies of Achebe, which is an example of how enduring the arts can be.
He said: “It is with great privilege that we honour our founding father and also the centrepiece of African literature, Achebe’s work represents the fact that literature can immortalize, as his works loom large even in his death.”
As part of the event’s activities, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah was also inducted into the fellowship of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
