In Achebe's essay, he explains that Africa's economic backwardness and political instability is due not by the incompetence of the native people, but by the tough changes it has endured because of it's colonial past. In the introduction of their freedom, the African people had no way of knowing what to do because they were colonized for so long. As Achebe puts it, "If you take someone who has not really been in charge of himself for 300 years and tell him, 'O.K., you are now free,' he will not know where to begin". As the African people gained their freedom, there was a huge rise of corrupt government officials who saw independence as a way of gaining great wealth and power. If Africa were to receive help from the same people who brought this conundrum upon the African citizens, many such situations could be relinquished before it causes massive destruction to the stability and growth of African society. This is said by Achebe who states, "...because the West has had a long but uneven engagement with Africa, it is imperative that it also play an important role in forging solutions to Africa’s myriad problems. This will require good will and concerted effort on the part of all those who share the weight of Africa’s historical albatross. While the much-vaunted day of independence arrived to much fanfare, it rapidly became a faded memory. The years flew past. By 1966, Nigeria was called a cesspool of corruption and misrule. Public servants helped themselves freely to the nation’s wealth." Achebe's desire to want to make the country of Nigeria and Africa as a whole more prosperous is also quite present; we can detect his fondness and high expectations for his homeland and that comes to no surprise. In his conclusion to the essay, Achebe exclaims, "In the end, I foresee that the Nigerian solution will come in stages... it is from this kind of environment that a leader, humbled by the trust placed upon him by the people, will emerge, willing to use the power given to him for the good of the people." Nigeria - Has Africa's wealthiest self-made billionaire, Aliko Dangote, who owns about 20 billion dollars. - Being the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria also stands as the seventh most populated country in the world. - The official language of this nation is actually English. - Music is an important part of not just Nigerian but overall West African culture. It has attracted many people from all over the globe to come, love, and appreciate their music. - It is a major tourist site in Africa due to it's uniqueness with the amount of widespread cultures throughout the nation. You will definitely learn something new visiting Nigeria! Saharatv.allAfrica. SaharaTV. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00080851.html. WhatThaFact.com. "10 Interesting Facts About Nigeria". Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://whatthafact.com/interesting-facts-about-nigeria/. Hinshaw, Drew. Pitchfork. "Killin' the Game: New Music From West Africa", 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/7682-killin-the-game-new-music-from-the-west-african-coast/. Nigerian Arts and Culture Directory. "The Tourism Potentials of Nigeria's Culture". 24 Apr. 2014. www.nacd.gov.ng/news_stories.php?newsid=80. Chinua Achebe - Ranking 2nd in the category of "Business and Culture" on the list of the 70 Greats of Our Times - His novel "Things Fall Apart" would become a classic of world literature and requiring students from all over the world to read. - Has received numerous honors, such as Honorary Fellowship of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and well over 20 honorary doctorates. He is also a recipient of the Nigerian National Merit Award, signifying high intellectual achievement that has shaped the culture of Nigeria. - Had an early career in radio that ended abruptly in 1966, when he left his position as director of external broadcasting in Nigeria during the national upheaval that led up to the Biafram War. He was selected as the senior research fellow at the University of Nigeria. - His collection poetry "Christmas in Biafra" and "Other Poems", created during the Biafram War, was the winner of the first Commonwealth Poetry Prize. NVS/Agency Reports. Nigeria Village Square. "TIME Magazine Heroes List Honors Professor Chinua Achebe, Fela Kuti, Mandela", 11 Nov. 2006. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/newsflash/time-heroes-professor-chinua-achebe-fela-anikulapo-kuti-mandela.html. Kandell, Jonathan. The New York Times. "Chinua Achebe, African Literary Titan, Dies at 82", 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/world/africa/chinua-achebe-nigeria-writer-dies-at-82.html. "Chinua Achebe's Biography and Style". Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.unc.edu/~hhalpin/ThingsFallApart/achebebio.html. Okri, Ben. UniVerse: A United Nations of Poetry. "Chinua Achebe". Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.universeofpoetry.org/nigeria_p2.shtml. Fela Kuti - Ranking 4th in the category of "Business and Culture" on the list of the 70 Greats of Our Times - Was a producer, arranger, musician, political radical, and outlaw as well as showman par excellence, inventor of Afro-beat, a sexist, and a person of great hunger for power. - Died due to AIDS and his death deeply affected musicians and fans internationally, as a musical and sociopolitical voice on a par with Bob Marley. - Early in life, he experienced politics and music in a seamless combination. His parents, however, were more interested in his becoming a doctor. Instead, Fela decided to attend at Trinity College's school of music. - He founded a studio and rehearsal space he called the Kolakuta Republic, and a nightclub, the Shrine. It was during this time that he dropped his given middle name of "Ransome" which he said was a slave name, and took the name "Anikulapo" (meaning "he who carries death in his pocket"). NVS/Agency Reports. Nigeria Village Square. "TIME Magazine Heroes List Honors Professor Chinua Achebe, Fela Kuti, Mandela", 11 Nov. 2006. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/newsflash/time-heroes-professor-chinua-achebe-fela-anikulapo-kuti-mandela.html. Dougan, John. The Shrine. "Biography of Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997)". Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.afrobeatmusic.net/html/fela_bio.html Wole Soyinka - Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. - During the six years he spent in England, he was a dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African drama. - During the civil war in Nigeria, Soyinka appealed in an article for cease-fire. For this he was arrested in 1967, accused of conspiring with the Biafra rebels, and was held as a political prisoner for 27 months. - Following his imprisonment, he went into voluntary exile and soon after entered a second period of creativity. Soyinka delivered lectures and wrote essays that discussed the nature of his art, traced its roots in Yoruba tradition, and compared his aesthetic principles and practice to those of other writes, both African and European. - In his novels, Soyinka contrasts with the neocolonial practices that black Africa absorbed from European imperialism. He believes organic revolution is a process of communal renewal reached in moments of shared cultural self-apprehension. "Such revolution is inherently local and cyclical, qualities more appropriate to African culture, Soyinka argues, than the global technologies of either Marxist communism or capitalist nationalism. Soyinka's mode of liberation ultimately displaces the logic of Western politics with the rhythms of native ritual" (McPheron). "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1986". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1986/ "Wole Soyinka - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1986/soyinka-bio.html McPheron, William. Stanford Presidential Lectures in the Humanities and Arts. "Wole Soyinka". Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/soyinka/ |
Cameron NuñezI am a hard-working, dependable, and organized person who gives 100% on all tasks and assignments. I am also very trustworthy and willing to learn anything new. I have a love for science, more specifically biology, and I have a passion for learning. As of now, I plan on becoming a doctor, possibly a surgeon. Please read my blog and make comments! Categories
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