The renowned Nigerian author, Prof. Chinua Achebe died on Saturday, March 22, 2013 at the age of 82 after a brief illness.
The Anambra State Government in Nigeria first made the announcement about his death, BBC reported. Achebe had been living in the US since 1990 following injuries from a car crash. Analysts say in Igbo society, the death of an important person must be announced by someone in authority.
A spokesman for the State Governor, Mike Udah, Peter Obi, said his home state was in mourning for the death of an illustrious son of Nigeria and Africa. A statement from his family said his wisdom and courage were an inspiration to all who knew him. Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan said Achebe's admirers had all learnt indelible lessons of human existence from his works.
He said Achebe's frank, truthful and fearless interventions in national affairs will be greatly missed in Nigeria because while others may have disagreed with his views, most Nigerians never doubted his immense patriotism and sincere commitment to the building of a greater, more united and prosperous nation that all Africans and the entire black race could be proud of, the President said in a statement.
Another statement from the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory said it offered its condolences to the Achebe family. The former South African President and anti-Apartheid fighter who spent 27 years in jail, referred to Prof Achebe as a writer in whose company the prison walls fell down, the statement said.
One of Africa's best known authors, Achebe’s 1958 debut novel, “Things Fall Apart,” which deals with the impact of colonialism in Africa, has sold more than 10 million copies. The writer and academic wrote more than 20 works - some fiercely critical of politicians and a failure of leadership in Nigeria. “Things Fall Apart” has been translated into more than 50 languages and focuses on the traditions of Igbo society and the clash between Western and traditional values.
Last year, Chinua Achebe published a long-awaited memoir on the brutal three-year Biafran War - when the south-eastern Igbo region tried to split from Nigeria in 1967. After leaving Nigeria, he worked in the US as a lecturer. His 1990 car accident left him paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair.
