Daca pina aici din carte se desprinde o tristete grea, de acum incolo lucrurile capata accente tragice. Senzatia ca “povestea” se transforma incet dar sigur in necrolog, se instaleaza hotarit. Pentru ca “O lume se destrama”. Moare. O lume cindva vie, devine amintire. In ritm accelerat. Daca la inceput, religia omului alb fusese privita cu neincredere, acum incepea ca capete adepti; inclusiv printre oamenii de frunte ai clanului. Barbati altadata falnici, acum isi lepadau fara pic de remuscare insemnele titlurilor pe care le cistigasera cu greu. ” Omul alb e foarte abil. A venit linistit si pasnic cu religia lui. Noi am ris de prostia lui si l-am lasat sa ramina. Acum i-a cistigat de partea lui pe fratii nostri, si clanul s-a dezbinat. A taiat cu cutitul firele care ne uneau si lumea noastra s-a destramat“. Sigur ca omul alb a venit cu scoli, cu magazine, cu spitale. Sigur ca o parte dintre  oamenii clanului vedeau si avantaje. Dar barbatia celor mai buni dintre ei, se frinsese. Locul in care Spiritele Batrinilor imparteau dreptatea, ramasese gol. Omul alb venise si cu tribunalele sale. Si cu ostasi, care impuneau dreptatea sa. “Okonkwo era foarte mihnit. Si nu doar pentru soarta lui. Deplingea soarta clanului, pe care il vazuse dezbinindu-se si destramindu-se, deplingea soarta barbatilor din Umuofia, care, in mod inexplicabil, devenisera fricosi ca niste femei“. In lipsa sa, locul sau fusese luat printre egwugwu de alt barbat. Care nu mai propovaduia razboiul, ci impacarea cu omul alb. Capitularea. Pentru ca ” Binecuvintat cel ce lasa pe tatal si pe mama sa ca sa-mi urmeze. Cei ce asculta cuvintele Mele sunt tatal Meu si mama Mea.[...] Okonkwo fusese poreclit “Focul Tunator“.  [...] Cum a putut sa zamisleasca un fiu ca Nwoye, degenerat si lipsit de barbatie ? [...] Ofta adinc, si parca in chip de intelegere, busteanul, care ardea mocnit, ofta si el. In acea clipa lui Okonkwo i se deschisera ochii si vazu clar intreaga situatie. Focul viu naste cenusa rece si neputincioasa. Ofta inca o data, din toate puterile”. Cutuma. Fusese bine ca il ucisese pe Ikemefuna ? Nu era Okonkwo omul care sa se resemneze. Incearca sa-i adune pe cei din clan si sa ii insufleteasca. Incearca sa ii indemne la razboi. Nu il mai urmeaza aproape nimeni. Este arestat impreuna cu alte citeva capetenii, batut, umilit. Clanul plateste rascumpararea. Dar Okonkwo nu intelege sa traiasca in robie. El nu era un sclav. El era un barbat brav. Aduna clanul la vechiul loc de adunare. Un barbat vorbea : ” – Zeii nostri pling cu totii. [...] Stramosii nostri pling din cauza sacrilegiului rusinos pe care l-au suferit, si din cauza ticalosiilor pe care le-am vazut cu totii cu proprii nostri ochi. [...] Trebuie sa scoatem raul din radacina. [...] Si trebuie sa actionam acum. Trebuie sa trecem apa acum, cind apa e doar la glezne. [...] Nimeni nu observase venirea celor cinci mesageri judecatoresti. [...] Vraja fu rupta de capetenia mesagerilor – Lasati-ma sa trec! ordona el.  – De ce-ai venit aici ? – Omul alb, a carui putere o cunoasteti foarte bine, a ordonat ca intilnirea aceasta sa inceteze. [...] Intr-o clipita Okonkwo isi scoase maceta din teaca. [...] Maceta lui Okonkwo lovi de doua ori si capul mesagerului se rostogoli linga omul in uniforma. Okonkwo ramase in picioare, uitindu-se la victima. Stia ca Umuofia nu avea de gind sa porneasca razboi. [...] Isi sterse maceta de singe in nisip si se indeparta. [...] Cind guvernatorul de district intra in curtea lui Okonkwo, gasi aici o mica adunare de oameni, care stateau istoviti. Le-a ordonat sa iasa si ei se supusera fara sa cricneasca. – Care dintre voi poarta numele de Okonkwo ? [...] – Te vom duce la el. [...] Cind ajunsera in fata copacului de care atirna corpul lui Okonkwo se oprira inmarmuriti. – De ce nu-l dati jos ? – Obiceiurile noastre nu ne permit acest lucru. Cine isi ia viata singur se face vinovat. E o ocara adusa Pamintului, iar omul care a comis acest pacat nu poate fi ingropat in mijlocul neamurilor lui. [...] – Va fi inmormintat cum se cuvine ? [...] – Barbatul acesta a fost unul dintre cei mai de seama barbati din Umuofia. L-ati impins la sinucidere, si acum va fi inmormintat ca un ciine“. Cutuma. Okonkwo va fi abandonat in Padurea Blestemata. Adica acolo unde clanul le oferise misionarilor pamint, ca sa-si ridice biserica.  In timp ce se intorcea spre tribunal, guvernatorul gindi la cele intimplate. Va scrie o carte consistenta, in care povestea acestui barbat, va ocupa un paragraf important. Cartea se va numi ” Pacificarea triburilor primitive din bazinul de jos al Nigerului“. Nu stiu daca aceasta carte a fost scrisa si publicata. Dar.

Cartea lui Achebe vorbeste despre lucruri petrecute in urma cu mai bine de doua sute de ani. Nigeria a fost pacificata. Crestinismul a fost imbratisat de 20% protestanti si 9 % catolici din populatie. Vechile cutume nu au disparut complet – animism – 28%.  Iar 43 % sunt adepti ai islamului. (Cifre din 2002). A progresat Nigeria sub presiunea Omului Alb ?

Putem privi la lumi aproape exterminate si aici, mai aproape, acasa la noi. Numai ca aici lumile acelea au apus sub cizma si tancurile Omului Rosu. A carei religie, a fost imbratisata atit de strins de unii dintre compatriotii nostri, ca ne sufoca si azi. Aici, nu au trecut decit 60 de ani de ciuma rosie. Dintre care ultimii 20, intr-o democratie originala, marca Kaghebusa. Care ne innabusa definitiv daca nu o stirpim acum, cind apa nu a trecut inca de… Chiar, pina unde sintem bagati in apa asta rosie de singe ???

Cutuma. Obiceiul. Traditia. Rinduiala ancestrala, care trebuie musai tinuta la respect, altfel fie se ajunge la degradare, fie la anarhie. Umbla zvonul ca in triburi invecinate, titlul de ozo “a decazut asa de mult, incit orice cersetor poate sa-l aiba”. Dupa ce Ikemefuna fusese omorit, pe Okonkwo l-au napadit gindurile negre. Vedea cu amaraciune ca pina si una dintre fiicele sale este mai destoinica decit propriul sai fiu, Nwoye. Cum avea slabanogul acesta, sa-l mosteneasca pe el, Okonkwo, cind el, Nwoye, seamana mai mult cu bunicul sau, Unoka ? Fusese bine ca Ikemefuna fusese ucis ? “- Pamintul nu ma poate pedepsi pentru ca am ascultat porunca trimisului sau, spuse Okonkwo. – e adevarat, recunoscu Obierika. Dar daca Oracolul mi-ar spune ca fiul meu trebuie sa moara nu m-as opune, dar nici nu l-as ucide eu“. Intreaga comunitate Umuofia, formata din noua sate, numara cam o mie de suflete. Toate pricinile erau judecate pe un teren destinat adunarilor populare – ila – de noua egwugwu – spiritele stramosilor, cite unul de fiecare sat. Capetenia lor, purta denumirea de Padurea Blestemata, aidoma locului in care erau parasiti inainte de moarte, cei care nu meritau onoarea de a fi ingropati linga stramosii lor. Hotaririle acestor egwugwu erau litera de lege, iar nesocotirea acestor hotariri, putea sa atraga asupra vinovatului, inclusiv pedepsa cu moartea. Autorul descrie cu mare talent obiceiuri de nunta, de botez si de inmormintare, ceremonii de dezlegare a vrajilor, leacuri impotriva bolilor si apelul la vraci, obiceiuri de casatorie si divort, povesti – inclusiv despre “oameni albi” – despre care incepuse sa se zvoneasca, legende din batrini, pilde de intelepciune, educarea copiilor, respectul datorat stramosilor, sarbatori populare. O multime de termeni dintr-o limba probabil disparuta, sau macar grav denaturata. O lume fascinanta. Pagini de o frumusete incredibila. Devine destul de limpede de ce acest roman a fost obiectul a nenumarate studii academice. Cutume. “Pamintul nu ma poate pedepsi pentru ca am ascultat porunca trimisului sau“. Asa sa fie ?  Ezeudo, fusese numele trimisului, om vrednic si care dobindise avere, faima, titluri si respect. Murise de batrinete. Tot clanul participa la ceremonia de inmormintare. Din greseala, Okonkwo descarca o pusca si il ucide pe unul dintre fiii mortului. “Sa omori pe cineva din propriul tau clan era o ofensa adusa zeitei pamintului, iar cel care comitea o astfel de crima trebuia sa-si paraseasca locul de bastina“. In caz de moarte accidentala, surghiunul urma sa dureze sapte ani. “Okonkwo si familia sa isi parasira satul, indreptindu-se catre locul de bastina al mamei sale“. Apoi, gospodaria sa a fost invadata de rude si prieteni de-ai celui ucis, care au distrus tot! “Nu simteau deloc ura impotriva lui Okonkwo. Nu faceau decit sa curete pamintul pe care Okonkwo il murdarise cu singele unui membru al clanului“. Cutume. Batrinii spuneau : “daca un deget e plin de ulei, le murdareste si pe celelalte“. Brusc, Okonkwo se vede fara nici-un rost. Telul sau, de a deveni unul dintre mai marii clanului sau, se spulberase. El, impreuna cu cele trei sotii si cu cei 11 copii, trebuiau sa ia totul de la inceput. Un unchi de-al sau, ii reface moralul : “datoria ta e sa-ti alini sotiile si copiii si sa-i duci inapoi in pamintul tatalui tau, dupa sapte ani. Daca vei lasa durerea sa te copleseasca si sa te bage in mormint, vor muri cu totii in exil“. Intelepte vorbe ! Apar primele zvonuri despre un clan decimat de catre oamenii albi ca represalii. Oamenii acelui clan, ascultind Oracolul au ucis un mesager calare pe un “cal de fier” = o bicicleta, care le-ar fi adus bineinteles, necazuri. In Umuofia apar primii misionari, care-si construiesc o biserica, incep sa cistige adepti si sa propovaduiasca in imprejurimi. Adeptii noii religii, erau exclusiv dintre cei denumiti in clan – efulefu – oameni fara valoare, “un efulefu era un om care-si vinde maceta si merge cu teaca goala la razboi“.  Un prieten de-al lui Okonkwo, il vede pe fiul acestuia printre misionari. ” – Ce faci aici ? – Sint unul de-ai lor. – Ce mai face tatal tau ? intreba Obierika, nestiind ce sa mai spuna. – Nu stiu. Nu mai e tatal meu, spuse Nwoye cu tristete“.

Ca un autentic – si nesuferit – european ce sunt (din postura de român – dar asta nu se pune la socoteala acum), stiu mai nimic despre cultura altor continente. Geografia lor culturala imi este aproape complet nedefrisata Cind imi venea de exemplu in minte Africa, gindul ma ducea automat la  safari, la comertul cu sclavi, la jungla luxurianta cu imensitatea sa de bogatie vegetala si animala si nu in ultimul rind la frumoasele de abanos cu sini tantosi, ochi zglobii si puritate desavirsita in cuget. Arta ‘neagra’ ? Desigur : stim cu totii atit de bine ce este, ca nici nu mai merita sa o mentionez. Stim ? Hm! Stim bineinteles. Cum sa nu stim ? Cu astfel de ginduri de autosuficienta profana, am rasfoit uluit, la un tirg de carte (Kilipirim -Bucuresti 2009) o bijuterie : “O lume se destrama” ( Things Fall Apart ). Numele autorului sau, Albert Chinualumogu Achebe – nigerian, n.1930 – , nu-mi spunea nimic. Dar am aflat ca “O lume se destrama” este ‘prototipul romanului african modern’. Tradus in 50 de limbi si vindut in opt milioane de exemplare. …”un roman luxuriant, fara a avea nimic din exotismul prin care Africa e trezita la viata in literatura europeana. [...] romanul lui Achebe documenteaza conflictele dintre vechile credinte ale locului si noile table de legi impuse de colonizatorii albi, la sfirsitul secolului XIX” – spune Alina Purcaru. Chiar de la inceput, odata ce parcurgi primele pagini, plonjezi fara avertisment intr-o lume stranie, in care toate obiceiurile par desprinse din povesti auzite la gura sobei, povesti spuse de un bunic plin de imaginatie. De fapt, este lumea in care traieste Okonkwo, eroul principal al povestirii. Lumea tribala a africii negre. O lume pe care cu greu ne-o putem imagina. De fapt, o lume pe cale de disparitie. “O lume care parea alcatuita pentru vecie se sfirseste sub privirile neputincioase ale celor care credeau in eternitatea ei. Africa traditionala, cu zeitatile, vrajitorii si eroii ei, dispare sub necrutatoare presiune a Omului Alb, cu misionarii si judecatorii sai care nu vad decit primitivitate si salbaticie in cultura pe care vor s-o suprime” – mai spune A. Purcaru. Okonkwo, fiu al unui om nu prea destoinic, mai iubitor de vorbe mestesugite si de cintece decit de munca ogorului de igname sau de mers la razboi, “era condus in viata de o singura idee – sa urasca tot ce iubise tatal sau, Unoka. Unul dintre acele lucruri era blindetea, iar celalat trindavia“.   Cu tenacitate, Okonkwo munceste aprig si acumuleaza bogatii adevarate : in afara de propria sa coliba, mai avea alte trei – obi -, in care locuia cite o sotie de a sa, fiecare dintre ele impreuna cu copiii nascuti de ea; fiecare sotie avea grija de cite o mica ograda cu pasari, iar principalul semn de bogatie, era hambarul plin cu igname. Nu-i lipseau nici gramezile de “cochilii” – moneda locului. Pe scurt, devenise un om respectat, pentru ca “in acele locuri un barbat era judecat dupa propriile sale fapte, si nu dupa cele ale tatalui sau“. Comunitatea era strict condusa de cutume, respectate cu sfintenie iar de  pedepsa nimeni nu era scutit, indiferent cit de bogat sau bine situat era in ierarhia locala.  Insusi Okonkwo, care intinase “Saptamina de pace” maltratindu-si una dintre sotii, care nu ii servise prinzul la vreme, fusese amendat cu o suma imensa si obligat sa depuna “o capra , o gaina, o bucata de pinza si o suta de cochilii” , la altarul lui Ani-Zeita Pamintului, al carei preot - Ezeani - ii si comunica sentinta. Bombanind, Okonkwo se supune. Nimeni nu indraznea sa nesocoteasca o cutuma. Chiar daca pedepsele erau mai blinde odata cu trecerea vremii – alta data se putea merge pina la uciderea vinovatului, nimanui nu8 i-ar fi trecut prin cap sa se sustraga. Tot o veche cutuma, spunea ca daca un trib vecin comitea o nedreptate, inainte de a declara razboi, era trimis un sol, care sa negocieze impacarea. Cum o fata a tribului tocmai fusese ucisa de un barbat al unui trib invecinat, Okonkwo este trimis in aceasta primejdioasa dar nobila misiune. Stirnind respect, obtine de la tribul respectiv drept compensatie o fecioara care va deveni sotia barbatului vaduvit de sotia sa, si un tinar, a carei soarta urma sa fie hotarita mai tirziu. Pina atunci, pustiul de nici zece ani, este incredintat spre crestere si educare, tocmai lui Okonkwo. Care il creste cu dragoste, ca pe propriul sau copil. Vreme de trei ani, copilul creste si vadeste calitati remarcabile, promitind sa devina un  barbat de viitor. Uitasera batrinii satului de el ? NU! Intr-o buna zi, Ezeani, vine si ii spune lui Okonkwo ca venise vremea “ca baiatul sa se intoarca acasa la el“. “Unul dintre barbatii din spatele lui isi drese vocea. Ikemefuna se intoarse sa se uite in spate, dar barbatul ii spuse mormaind sa nu se uite inapoi si sa se uite inainte. [...] Cind barbatul care isi drese vocea isi scoase maceta si o ridica in aer,  Okonkwo privi in laturi. Auzi lovitura. Il auzi pe Ikemefuna strigind ‘Tata, m-au omorit!’ , si il vazu venind catre el. Cutremurat de frica, Okonkwo isi scoase maceta si il dobori. Nu vroia ca ceilalti sa spuna despre el ca e slab”.

Nigerian novelist says he resists the tag ‘very, very strongly’ because it obscures the role of many other writers.

To some degree, I agree with him. He states,

“It’s really a serious belief of mine that it’s risky for anyone to lay claim to something as huge and important as African literature … the contribution made down the ages. I don’t want to be singled out as the one behind it because there were many of us – many, many of us.”

It is a huge title to carry. True, his novel Things Fall Apart was essentially the one that set the stage for the world’s recognition of African literature. However, modern African literature, as we see it today, encompasses the contributions of so many.

I can imagine there are lots of opinions on this. What’s your take?

Read the article here.

Here are some of the books, that I am reading or have been influential in my development.  Maybe you can add some of these to your own library.  Maybe you have an opinion on one of them. Let me know!

ESV Study Bible (English Standard Version)

This is simply the best study bible out there for people who want to not only read verses out of the bible, but to understand the message of the bible and articulate that message to other people.  Lots of great tools have been included to help one’s study of the Bible. (When you get the Bible, read St. Mark’s Gospel, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,  and Ephesians )

Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley

This biography was such an amazing tale of a man who through the force of his convictions educates himself and becomes one of the strongest orators and thought leaders of the 60s.  Even if you disagree with his politics, his story is fascinating.

Martin Luther King Trilogy by Taylor Branch (Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and On Canaan’s Edge”

This trilogy I still haven’t finished.  But if you are looking for something on the life and times SURROUNDING Dr. King and the players in that era (e.g. Kennedy, Malcolm X) this is series for you.  The author spent almost 20 years of his life putting the information together and its well worth the read.

Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

Piper calls for those of us who are Christian to run after God and get out of boring, safe Christianity, and actually run after Jesus.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

If you are trying to pick up some tools to order your life, there are some here.

Desiring God by John Piper

Piper drops this gem. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”  Please read!

Destruction of Black Civilization by Chancellor Williams

Mr. Williams spent an inordinate amount of his life tracing the history of the decline of ancient African empires to the modern day neo-colonialism that is Africa’s calling card.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Achebe speaks about a civilization — a way of life — that is killed ironically by “civilization.”  Good book: it gave me perspective.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I just love anything that Mr. Gladwell writes.  The Tipping Point started the love affair.

21 Indisputable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

John Maxwell writes this great one on leadership.

Slide-ology – The Art of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte

If you are into making presentations and want to understand the art behind great Powerpoint or Keynote slides, pick this one up for your library.

Vintage Jesus by Marc Driscoll

I haven’t read this one yet, I must confess.  However, I hear it is good for those who want to know about the life of Jesus in highly reader-friendly language.

Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin speaks to the discontent of the Black America in the sixties.  Some of what he writes is still prescient for today and he is at his poetic best in this book.  The Letter of a Birmingham Jail is included.

Alison Flood has written an article for The Guardian (online) entitled “Achebe rejects endorsement as ‘father of modern African literature’”, including extracts from an interview he gave at Brown University (US) in the context of the creation of a colloquium called The Chinua Achebe Colloquium on Africa and in which Achebe, the author of the truly memorable ”Things Fall Apart” among other works and the inspiration for many African and non-African writers, emphatically denies being the “father of modern african literature”.

Chinua Achebe (Wikipedia)

Nadine Gordimer (Wikipedia)

If you like to read very good books, and/or are interested in Nigerian or Biafran culture and history, you really must read “Things Fall Apart” as well as Achebe’s other fiction and non-fiction.  We’d also recommend, of course, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels “Purple Hibiscus” and “Half of a Yellow Sun” as wonderfully written and very moving.  And we wish we could have written that in Igbo.

nothingisinvisible@live.fr

By Muli wa Kyendo

It is interesting to see that in these days of internet, Africa’s literary giants, Chinua Achebe of Nigeria and Ngugi wa Thiong’o of Kenya, are still asking the old question: Should African writers write in English? Chinua Achebe thinks we should – and goes ahead to write his novels in English, believing as he has often stated, that, if his books are useful, they will be translated into whichever languages become important in future.

Ngugi on the other hand believes that it is important to write in ones mother tongue because of one Tanzanian writer long wrote, “Whoever abandons his culture is a slave.” And Ngugi, like Chinua has proceeded to write in Kikuyu, his mother tongue, in which I understand, he lectures with the help of a translator, in an American University.

Language is important for us, journalists, writers, poets and even musicians who must use language to earn their living. And that’s why this debate is of interest us.

Why Writers Write

The underlying question of the debate is: Why do writers write? Naturally they writes because they have ideas or information they want to communicate. If follows then that the wider the relevant audience they can communicate with, the better. The key word here is the “relevant audience.” If what you want to communicate is of relevance only to Kikuyus, then obviously you should follow the Ngugi way and write in Kikuyu. If however, you want to reach a wider East African audience, then you must become fluent in Kiswahili and write in it.

Again, it follows that if your audience is even wider than that, you must write in English.

You Are Not Slave

It doesn’t mean you are a slave. You will in fact, be doing what has been done the world over throughout the ages. And what it means is that the language you are using has achieved ascendancy over the others that you could use at this point in time. At another point in time, another language will achieve the high point and all books and important thoughts of earlier periods will be translated into that language as Chinua Achebe says.

When Greek was the language of the day, all important thoughts were expressed in the Greek. And so it was when Latin was the language. And I assume it was the same when Egyptian language was on the top.

Why Language Become Important

Languages do not become important because of colonization as Ngugi seems to assume. Germany had colonies and German language didn’t become international. The Dutch, the French, the Spaniard, the Portuguese and many more, all had colonies, and their languages have not become more significant than our Kiswahili.

Languages become important because of the economic power of its speakers. Unlike what Ngugi thinks, it is the US which is now the reason for the increased use of English. Its economic, cultural, technological and military might ensures the dominance of English as many people look forward to doing business with them or to gaining some experience from them. That is why both Ngugi and Chinua Achebe are lecturing in US universities, earning a decent, comfortable living. Without writing in English, they wouldn’t be literature professors in the US.

Africa’s Desperate Need

Africa is in desperate need to explain its position to the world. To explain to the world the beauty of its cultures, the abundance of its wealth, the intellectual prowess of its people and the role its people have played to advance world cultures and history.

And we, who are writing from the continent, are excited that at last, the internet is giving us an opportunity to explain Africa to world. Our expectation is that with increased knowledge of the continent, its intellectual and natural resources, its role in world cultures and history, the continent will take its place as an equal partner in world development. In deed that it will take the lead, as it should, in world leadership

And when that happens, Kiswahili will take the position of English. Then all great ideas and thoughts will be expressed in Kiswahili. And the rest of the world, including the English, will be the ones complaining and finding importance in the statement, “Those who abandon their cultures are slaves.”

Wow, like a lost child I continue to stray from the Brooklyn Socialite path, but never too far my friends. Never too far. All the while as my keyboard fingers have gone limp, my little legs have still run from one cultural event to the next. Indeed, I have much to report.

In adventures in the surreal I have recently found myself in 2 interesting settings. One, a friendly neighborhood book group, with a selection of my peers. We had gathered to discuss A Mercy, by the legendary Toni Morrison. Halfway through some questions arose about characters and the author’s intention, when one of the group said, “Well, I’ll just call her and ask her, hold on a sec.”  “Excuse me?” I stuttered out. “What does she mean she’ll just call her?” “Well Toni Morrison is her grandmother.” Another member offered. Oh, I saw. Morrison was called and I sat dumbfounded. There was so much I wanted to ask her.

To continue on the theme of six degrees of separation, the next day, out of Brooklyn and all the way uptown at the 92 Street Y, I was picking up my ticket to Chinua Achebe from the press representative and he mentioned in passing that all 900 seats of the auditorium were packed. “I haven’t seen the Y this full since Toni Morrison was here.” He said. Of course, Morrison again.

My second brush with legend this past week or so, was a screening that I had the occasion to attend on the rooftop of the Chelsea Hotel. Yes, after seeing Chelsea on the Rocks, Abel Ferrara’s docudrama (it had re-enactments, many) next door at the Chelsea Cinema, I moved considerably closer to that old ghost, new art temple of legend, yes the Hotel in question. I got past the reception who didn’t seem to want to let any of us up to Sam Bassett’s penthouse apt. We did make it though, the very small crew of myself, 5-6 other journalists, Sam, his girlfriend Erin Featherstone (I was having fashion week flashbacks, I had been to her show, but in person, she was more real life-like and very nice. Bryant Park makes one grand I suppose.) and Stanley Bard himself, with his support team of family and friends. There we sat, with an amazing view of the city, in Basset’s studio/home and watched the work unfold. His documentary, Stanley Bard, was decidedly different from Chelsea on the Rocks, although they were made at similar times, with similar subject matter. The comparison is a whole article in itself, but for now let’s leave it at more, on the gentle, kind and very talented Bassett, to come.

Next stop: Another screening in the series put on by the Royal Flush Festival. This art/music/film festival is a smallish local affair, still they have managed to pack their theaters and involve some amazing contributors. One such element of amazement, was Justin Strawhand’s film, War Against the Weak. Based on the seminal, critical history of  U.S. eugenics by Edwin Black, this film really mines our history in a way that many are not yet ready to own. It tracks how the Rockefeller foundation, along with several other rich American families funded eugenics research in the U.S and Germany from the beginning of the 20th century, all the way up through the Second World War. The startling tenet of the film is that Nazism was directly inspired and to some degree funded by racist American science, and what’s more, many other institutions and policies that remain in place here, to this day, were motivated by eugenics. A sinister origin is revealed for the SAT, the IQ test, and much of the  documentation, which has been kept by government agencies like jails and schools throughout the past century. Again much more can be said on the subject, and in order to verse myself more fully, I purchased, yes with my own limited funds, the last copy of Edwin Black’s book in the Union Square Barnes and Noble. Here once more, I accidentally approached legend, this book happened to be a hardcover, signed by the author.

But let’s take a step back, dedicated readers of this blog may remember that I first met Justin back in the spring at Full Frame. We got into a long discussion about Eugenics outside of a festival party. De ja vu, a couple of weekends back, when I was at the Hamptons Film Festival, lying low as Industry (that means I was on the screening committee, not that I am now an industry bigshot of any kind) who should I find myself hanging out with outside a party again. Yes, of course Justin and here it comes out that I still haven’t seen his film and the plan is made to be at his Royal Flush screening. Wait, what else happened in the Hamptons?

Well, I saw a lot of films and I took a little morning trip to Montauk, my favorite part of that area, where I went to Joni’s my favorite brunch spot in New York state. Oh, it’s charming, has amazing organic food, lots of  which is homemade. I also made a point to go the water everyday and watch the fishermen and walk and relax. Ahh the Brooklyn Socialite will survive Brooklyn only with regular exposure to nature. Yeah, I’m making a rule to get out as much as I can.

OK, but what were the filmic highlights? Let’s see, Shadow Billionaire, was intriguing, The Paper Man was great because of the fact that lots of stuffy audience members walked out in the middle including, one former Mayor Giuliani. Yes, this was my brush with not legend, but ignominy. Oh the shame. I wanted to give him an earful, but I was too polite to interrupt the film, unlike some people. Mira Nair’s collection of shorts was intense, also earned several walkouts, but as Guy Maddin (yes legend is the theme today) once shared with me the fact of the very high walk out rates in his films, I don’t think it is necessarily a bad sign.

To conclude with legends, and to reference my less than clever pun (Still Socialiting) yes I’m not just a boob, this is a reference to the film Still Bill. I saw it this week at Stranger than Fiction. The film is about, yes the legend, Bill Whithers, who after all these years is still Bill. He’s kept his roots and remained down to earth, a family man, who hasn’t released a record in 30 years, after such epic songs as Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone and Grandma’s Hands. The film is candid and touching and made me really want to find the last autographed copy of the Bill Whiters CD at Barnes and Noble on 14th street.  Maybe my luck will hold.

I remember one of my old teachers to be especially fond of stories dealing with human savagery. He assigned my class both Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe in the same year.
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a fictional portrayal of an Englishman’s journey into the ‘primitive’ heart of Africa. Conversely, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a fictional portrayal of an African’s reaction to the English’s arrival in his country. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows the heart of human darkness, and in Things Fall Apart, Achebe emphasizes the fear experienced by a native people as they are imperialized.
Both these stories affected me greatly.Therefore, I was extremely interested by a story on NPR , where Achebe openly spoke out against Conrad’s famous novel. It was especially surprising to me, since I understood that Achebe was initially a fan of Conrad’s work.
As Achebe realized he was “not on Marlow’s ship”, he simultaneously realized that his native people were portrayed as barbaric animals. In the article, Achebe says, “I realized how terribly terribly wrong it was to portray my people — any people — from that attitude.”
I can understand his discontent with Conrad’s portrayal of his people, but I find it slightly shocking that he missed the overarching point of Conrad’s book. Conrad–just as much as Achebe– wrote about the horrors and plight of imperialism. I won’t spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t read it, but after finishing Conrad’s book, you don’t end up thinking, Africans are such savages. You think, Africans were portrayed as uncivilized, but it’s clear that the true barbarian was the Englishman. In fact, the contrast between the ‘civilized’ Englishman and the native, ‘barbaric’ Africans emphasizes the atrocities that the English commit. The book is riddled with instances of the damage imperialism inflicts on the local population. Truly, the reader feels sympathy for the Africans who are fundamentally enslaved. It’s a little crazy that Achebe, an accomplished and wonderful author, can’t identify or respect this obvious conclusion of the book.

God Save The Books,
C. Harder

From NPR’s All Things Considered:

ROBERT SIEGEL: Yes, I found the essay in which you write – you said: A time came when I reached the appropriate age and realized that these writers had pulled a fast one on me. I was not on Marlow’s boat steaming up the Congo in “Heart of Darkness.” Rather, I was one of those unattractive beings jumping up and down on the river bank making hard faces.

Mr. ACHEBE: Okay. All right. I’m glad you got that so well. That’s a point where you understand that two humanities. We are not all the same. And then I realized how terribly, terribly wrong it was to portray my people, any people, from that attitude, from that point of view.

Listen here.

We at ATI would like to proudly present a new Bantegory in to the ATI repertoire: Real World Knowledge.  Posts included in this Bantegory will try to spread knowledge to our readers about current events happening in the world that we would not consider Ig’nant.  We want to provide our readers with a rich abundance of topics to banter about with their friends, family, colleagues, and coworkers, so it can’t always be about the ig’nance that is present in our world.  And so it begins:

Brown University once again has shown its commitment to academic enrichment as African Novelist, Cninua Achebe, will joining the faculty as a professor of Africana studies.

Mr. Achebe is probably best known for his literary works “No longer at ease” and “Things Fall Apart.”

He is widely regarded as a pioneer in African literature and I believe has acted as a conduit of learning and communication between West African novelist and academics and their western colleagues.  It is quite possible that my interest in Mr. Achebe’s works stem from my own West African origins but this is certainly not the only reason why I have taken interest enthralled by this man’s work.  He provides a wealth of knowledge and understanding not only of Africa but of the entire world.  He is a master of his field and I implore every Brown University student to take the opportunity to meet and learn from this man because I can assure it is an experience that you will not regret.

Check out the article here

-The dark knight

This month (October 2009) members of the Accra Book Club are supposed to finally discuss Chinua Achebe’s seminal work, Things fall apart, with those of us who feel adventurous reading Dambisa Moyo’s controversial assessment of aid, Dead aid.  I re-read Achebe’s book earlier this year, so I just need to quickly refresh my memory, but the Moyo book I have just started, even though I did buy it while on holiday.

Interestingly we are reading two Nigerian authors back to back – so in November 2009 we will discuss Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s collection of short stories, The thing around your neck. I am actually happy and proud to say that the bookshop where I bought it – Vidya’s –  actually had the Nigerian version, put out by Adichie’s Lagos publishers, Farafina, which I thought was doubly appropriate.  It is ironic that we often read African writers who are published in London and New York.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest book

I found her stories quite moving, some better than others – obviously, but capturing some of the range that can be termed part of the contemporary Nigerian, or dare I say, African experience, whether in Nigeria, South Africa or in the diaspora.

I also found it doubly appropriate that a colleague sent me a link to the talk which Adichie gave recently for TED.  I really enjoyed it, and passed on the link to others.   It is definitely worth listening to and watching.

In honor of my favorite month and holiday (Halloween – duh!), I’ve got a number of eerie, nerve-wracking tales to review, and for once, I won’t worry that people will be annoyed that I recommend so much horror. We’ll start with this fresh twist on the classic haunted house genre, Audrey’s Door, written by Sarah Langan, a direct descendant of all that we loved about Stephen King’s glory days.

In her preface, Langan acknowledges her debt to classics like The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Shining by master King, and Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby. Huge shoes to fill, and Langan steps up with bravado, weaving a creepy sense of foreboding from the first pages. No simple ghost story, the haunted history of a New York City apartment building (built in Langan’s brilliantly devised philosophy of Chaotic Naturalism) is made palpable by superbly crafted characters that breathe air as real as that in your lungs.

Check out the video trailer for the book (my new favorite thing – book trailers!)

New Releases this week:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner  — For fans of The Hunger Games or The Inferior!

The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks — a grapic novel adaptation of Zombie encounters from the author of World War Z (who also happens to be the son of my hero Mel Brooks!), just in time for World Zombie Day this Sunday, October 11!

The Education of a British-Protected Child by Chinua Achebe — a collection of old and new essays by the revered author of Things Fall Apart. His first book in over 20 years!

–Whitney

Eftersom jag tog upp Ig Nobel-priset i litteratur häromdagen är det väl på sin plats att jag även kommenterar mottagaren av Nobelpriset.

Det blev Herta Müller, en förhandstippad favorit. När Peter Englund tillkännagav mottagaren utbröt ett stort jubel hos presskåren, så jag utgår från att hon verkligen förtjänade utmärkelsen. Det lät verkligen så! Jag har tyvärr inte läst något av Herta Müller, så jag kan inte göra någon personlig bedömning.

I förhandssnacket nämndes också Chinua Achebe, och där har jag lite bättre koll. Jag tyckte väldigt mycket om Things fall apart (Allt går sönder på svenska) och tycker att Achebe skulle vara en välförtjänt mottagare av Akademiens pris. Det skulle också vara rätt kul att kunna säga “ja den författaren skriver väldigt bra böcker, bra val!” för en gångs skull…

Things Fall Apart (read 1971) Recommend

“A novel about an African tribe’s fatal brush with British colonialism in the 1800s that told the story of colonialism for the first time from an African perspective.“

Achebe has a new book out, a collection of essays, The Education of a British-Protected Child.

Author Rating: A+

Even Chinua Achebe is getting on the African literary renaissance bandwagon! Alright, alright. I know. We’re talking about Chinua Achebe. He, the “grandfather of modern African literature,” needs no introduction and certainly no reason to jump on any bandwagon. But his publishing now, at this time should really give a boost to other African writers, shouldn’t it? I love it.

In October, the celebrated author of Things Fall Apart and winner of the Man Booker International Prize will release his first new book in more than 20 years, “The Education of a British-Protected Child,” a collection of old and recent essays that piece together the arc of his literary life. His story, and that of his native Nigeria, are closely entwined.

Chinua Achebe’s characteristically measured and nuanced voice is everywhere present in these seventeen beautifully written pieces. In a preface, he discusses his historic visit to his Nigerian homeland on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart, the story of his tragic car accident nearly twenty years ago, and the potent symbolism of President Obama’s election. In “The Education of a British-Protected Child,” Achebe gives us a vivid portrait of growing up in colonial Nigeria and inhabiting its “middle ground,” recalling both his happy memories of reading novels in secondary school and the harsher truths of colonial rule. In “Spelling Our Proper Name,” Achebe considers the African-American diaspora, meeting and reading Langston Hughes and James Baldwin, and learning what it means not to know “from whence he came.” The complex politics and history of Africa figure in “What Is Nigeria to Me?,” “Africa’s Tarnished Name,” and “Politics and Politicians of Language in African Literature.” And Achebe’s extraordinary family life comes into view in “My Dad and Me” and “My Daughters,” where we observe the effect of Christian missionaries on his father and witness the culture shock of raising “brown” children in America.

Charmingly personal, intellectually disciplined, and steadfastly wise, The Education of a British-Protected Child is an indispensable addition to the remarkable Achebe oeuvre.

Read about it here.

Here’s some things I did not have the time to blog about properly or link to this past week:

* Barack and Michelle Obama had to pose 135 times with visiting dignitaries to the UN General Assembly last week, like Jacob Zuma and Mrs Zuma (that’s all the information the White House released on her) above. Actually there’s no point to this item. I just wanted to post the picture.

* Everybody and their goalkeeper is making films about the 2010 World Cup. Because it is in Africa. Even Will.I.am is involved.

* Kenyan journalist, Kassim Mohammed, goes to investigate piracy in Somalia, gets invited to a pirate base, and, before he knew it, is taken hostage [link].

* Fazila Farouk on the “cute” G20.

* “Watching wildlife with white people.”

* J Period and K’Naan’s “The Messangers” is a mixtape honoring Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and Fela. [Link]

* “Evidence vs Dogma in Darfur” [Link]

* Not everyone–well really Village Voice music critic, Rob Harvilla–can see the genius of BLK JKS.

* If you’re in New York City, on October 19 philosopher Anthony Appiah will interview Chinua Achebe on the publication of his first new book in more than 20 years “The Education of a British-Protected Child,” a collection of autobiographical essays at the 92nd Street Y.

There is this malicious journalistic practice perpetuated in Ghana and many parts of Africa which is essentially working for African disintegration rather than unity and integration.

How many times have you read and heard about captions in Ghanaian media and other media houses in Africa that reads

Is The Media Responsible?

similar to this “Two Nigerians and a local nabbed by Police for attempted drug trafficking”? What of this: “One Kenyan, two Ugandans and a local caught for fraud”? Betters still: “Two Ghanaians, three Senegalese and one Nigerian caught by Moroccan officials for illegal migration” This raise questions whether it is the nation that is at fault or the individual African people involved.

This practice is not limited to just one part of Africa. In South Africa, it is not uncommon at all, for offenders’ national identities to take priority over their individual identities. Common “offending” nations include Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and of course, Nigeria. The headlines are intentionally or unintentionally made to sound as if it is the nationalities of culprits which are at fault and not the individuals themselves. In the Northern part of Africa, the situation is reported worse, as  countries (mostly in West Africa) whose people use the region as a transit point for entering Europe, are treated with disdain.

There is a theory in psychology called classical conditioning, loosely rendered as learning by association. The underlying principle is simply that, when a neutral stimulus become closely paired with another stimulus that elicits a response, the hitherto neutral stimulus will over time, acquire the power to evoke a response similar to the one that already does. Putting it in the context of this article, when a country is always associated with fraud and robbery for instance, it gets to a point when the mere mention of that country is able to evoke the same fearful and disgusting feeling you experience at the mention of “fraud” and “robbery”.

One African student, from Nigeria, who has spent three years studying at the University level in Ghana, during a private conversation with him at the recent AASU conference in Accra, shared his impression about Ghana. In his own words he said “Ghana is cool…I must say; only that people tend to look at me twice and shun my company at the mention of my nationality…its bad”. Upon further enquiry as to why in his view some Ghanaians treat him that way he replied that it’s because some few Nigerians are fraudsters and so everybody thinks he is also one.

This is what happens when the media houses in Africa continue to tag the few wrongdoers with their nationalities all the time.

We often hear about free movements of goods, services and of course people. How can Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) or Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the other economic regional blocs in Africa strengthen regionalism when we continue to paint hostile mental imagery of one another to our citizens? How can we finally heighten the tempo of the ambitious United States of Africa with this attitude? It is obvious that we must change.

During a recent visit to Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo, the current head of department of School of Communication Studies at University of Ghana Legon, she sounded quite optimistic about the prospect of African unity government. But she was quick to chip in the hostile and unfriendly images fellow Africans portray of themselves to their own people and to the outside world, as a canker that must be healed to speed up the process of regional and continental integration.

The 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa against fellow Africans must serve a timely warning for us all, especially the media houses. Painting groom mental impressions of countries to citizens of your country, can very well serve a fertile ground for potential xenophobic tendencies. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 where about 800,000 people lost their lives in a matter of 100 days, due to an unguarded remark by a journalist, is another point of reference worthy of study by all Africans.

Dr. Nkrumah realized long time ago that, for a United States of Africa (USA) to see the light of the day, African people need to learn and master cooperative living in the spirit of harmony and tolerance. In fact, he boldly walked the talk, when he defied all the rife internal criticisms to marry an Egyptian woman instead of a Ghanaian.

Let us embrace the things that bind us together as Africans with common destiny and shun practices that are likely to “put a knife on the things that hold us together”. We cannot afford to fall apart, as the Igbo people did with the advent of the White men in Chinua Achebe’s tragic novel “Things Fall Apart”.

The next time we hear of a caption that reads “Two Nigerians” and one local nabbed by Police for robbery”, challenge the headline. For the sake of African unity, it should rather read as “Egbuefi Ijioka, Okwonko Izeama and Kwesi Yeboah nabbed by Police for robbery”. Better still, it can simply be “Three people nabbed by Police for robbery”.

By Bidi Emmanuel

(Bidi Emmanuel is a graduate of University of Ghana Legon, where he studied Geography and resource development and Psychology; he also holds a certificate in Intercultural Leadership by Macquarie University of Australia. He is currently an intern at UNDP/GEF-SGP in Accra.)

October 1st is the day Nigeria celebrates its 49th year of independence from UK (re: British) rule. Be sure to check out highlights from the 2008 parade in New York City via the YouTube video posted above. Pictured in the following photo collage are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oluchi, 2Face, Seal, Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Noah, Sophie Okonedo, Laura Izibor, Dakore Egbuson, 9ice, Nnenna, Regina Askia, Lemar, Agbani Darego, Sade, Chinua Achebe, Rita Dominic, Omotola, Ayo, Jim Iyke, Kate Henshaw, Wale, Osi Umenyiora, Lola Oguinnake, Wale Ogunleye, P-Square, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Long live Nigeria!

photo credits: Google images