Chinua Achebe

Chinua (Albert Chinụalụmọgụ) Achebe (1930 – 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. He gained worldwide attention for his novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), the most widely read book in modern African literature; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960) and A Man of the People (1966). Achebe became a supporter of Biafra after its 1967 independence, but when the Nigerian government retook control, he resigned in frustration over corruption and elitism. In the USA, he worked for 18 years at Bard College as Professor of Languages and Literature then at Brown University as Professor of Africana Studies. An Igbo chieftain, his style used those oral traditions, and combined narration with folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He also published short stories, children's books, and essays. He fully integrated storytelling with leadership.

We must hear all the stories … and by hearing all the stories, we will find points of contact and communication and the world story, the great story, will have a chance to develop.