The renowned Nigerian author of ‘Things Fall Apart’ died last March in the US.

The funeral of renowned Nigerian author, Prof. Chinualumogu Achebe, who died last March in Boston, USA at the age of 82, held yesterday, May 23, 2013 in his home town, Ogidi, Anambra State, Thisday newspaper reported. Many national and foreign dignitaries attended the massive funeral for a man widely regarded as the founding father of African literature in English.

The venue of the obsequies was frenzied as a sea of people filled the arena. Vendors made brisk business, selling a compilation of Achebe’s quotes and hurriedly-bound compendium of reviews of his works, as well as souvenirs. As Achebe once said: “A man’s life from birth to death is a series of transition rites that bring him nearer and nearer to his ancestors.” This perhaps explained why world personalities gathered to celebrate Achebe with tributes as part of his transition rites.

The Guardian newspaper of Nigeria reported that every other activity literally came to a halt in Anambra State earlier on Wednesday as the remains of the late literary icon were laid in state for a short but impressive open-air service at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in the state capital, Awka. BBC reported that after guests departed at the end of yesterday’s event, a vital aspect of Achebe's burial will still be pending. According to Igbo tradition, death is not an end to life. It is simply a transition to a new world. And without the rites of passage performed during a ceremony called "Ikwa ozu", which means "celebrating the dead," Achebe will be forbidden from taking his rightful place among his ancestors.

Born in 1930, Achebe’s first novel, ‘Things Fall Apart,’ was published in 1958 and has since sold 10 million copies. His other novels include ‘No Longer at Ease’ (1960), ‘Arrow of God’ (1964), ‘A Man of the People’ (1966), and ‘Anthills of the Savannah’ (1987). His most recent work, ‘There Was A Country,’ published in 2012, is the novelist’s personal account of the bloody Nigerian Civil War. Prof. Achebe generally wrote about the effects of colonialism and corruption. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, described Achebe as the writer in whose company the prison walls came down.

A road accident in Nigeria in 1990 left Chinua Achebe partially paralysed, though he continued to teach in US universities from a wheel chair. A man of principles, Achebe refused Nigerian honours awarded him by several governments, complaining of corruption and bad governance in his homeland.