Kwadwo Osei-Nyame, Jnr
A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe, In Memoriam
The 2014 Chinua
Achebe Colloquium was an enjoyable moment. The panels were generally very well
organized, mostly done within time, the speakers mostly were able to bring some
interesting angles to discussing and commemorating Achebe’s work, thus in a
sense making us - at least that’s how I personally felt - re-discover other
dimensions of Achebe and what he represents.
A fair number of
contributions established that convergence between text and wider world,
something which Professor Spivak, for example, did very well in her interesting
presentation. Another person who established that connection between the writer
and his universe was the “youngster” Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, who reading
-presenting and concurrently speaking off-the-cuff also drove the point home
well.
To mention these
two, however, is not in any way to leave out the many other excellent
presenters. One cannot forget, for example, the panel on There Was a Country, which
proved that one could speak about Achebe, about Biafra, about Nigeria and indeed about Africa
and even the Black World and still establish the connections between these,
without spiteful acrimony. Not that the book on which the panel was based
cannot be critiqued but that one can tell a story about a nation any nation
within or without another nation as part of a process of historical dialogue:
Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe demonstrated this so very well in his talk and as another
contributor on his panel put it, “yes, there was and is a country Biafra, but
there also was and is a country Nigeria”. One might add here that in a
sense there will always be both.
Again, hearing for
example, how the contribution that someone like Dr Nair Anaya Ferriera is
making with Achebe’s work among African descent people (the Afro-Mexicans) in
Mexico, hearing her describe how she is spreading the word and providing
students and the community a means of self-understanding, that was most
inspiring, giving an indication of the reach and extent, indeed the limitless
possibilities of Chinua Achebe’s legacy in the New World.
Serious discussions
aside, the conference was full of some truly humorous moments. Recall, for
example when Raoul Granqvist made the entire audience laugh with his story, of
almost being denied entry into the US for some silly reason(s), and how he had
to hold back his words, and not tell his interviewer what he really would have
liked to tell him or her because he really simply wanted to be at the
colloquium and so kept his mouth shut.
The presentations
were of course interspersed with some beautiful performances - singers,
dancers, instrumentalists, raconteurs, drawing, teasing out and
illustrating vividly and vibrantly, even soulfully the connection between
the world of literature and of Igbo and other African cultures, indeed
the connection between our African culture(s) and in another sense our
spirituality. Performers were in this respect from South Africa , from Igboland, and
also right (t)here in the African Diaspora, from the African community in the
United States/America.
Seeing Chidi Achebe with
his time-keeping antennae, always on the ready and quick to entreat the
Mistress of Ceremony, Abena Busia, to regulate the time and keep everyone in
order at the least sign of disarray, which was done gracefully by both Chidi and
Abena, even if with some interesting challenges such as when speakers and
performers occasionally became over-exuberant! I think we ended up enjoying it all as drama and spectacle anyway.
And Abena of course compeered the event very smoothly in her usual bubbly
manner…
We cannot forget
Mikele and her events team, ever helpful, as they had been prior to our
arriving, and here even the driver of the shuttle between the conference centre
and hotel deserves mention for being always lively and cheerful, and patient
even as he obviously had a business-like approach to keeping his shuttling
schedule intact. Meals at the hotel and lunch and dinner were fine.
Re-connecting with
Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, Obioma Nnaemaka, Akachi Ezeigbo, Chimalum Nwankwo, Olakunle
George, Olabode Ibironke, and many others, colleagues whom I haven’t seen for a
while, making new friends, all of that apart from the stimulating nature of the
discussions made it enjoyable and while I mention these folk above, I believe
it was equally joyous for others to be re-connecting with whoever they touched
base with or whoever they even became acquainted with or got to meet for the
first time.
There were twists
and turns of fate. Hearing sadly how Morakabe Raks Seakhoa was denied a visa
ostensibly for his anti-apartheid activism in a previous era. Should that be a
crime? Really in this day and age? Lawd hav mercy upon some souls, abi? O shame
and shame unto the powers that be! What absurdity really. Anyway his partner,
Sindiswa Seakhoa, who was accompanying him, was allowed entry.
The
heavy-handedness, even the gross injustice of immigration in the belly of the
beast notwithstanding, did not stop us enjoying Sindiswa’s wonderful
performance, her synthesis of song and poetry into a melodious rhythm was
invigorating. I thought as she stood on stage of Miriam Makeba, I thought of
Yvonne Chaka Chaka, even sometimes of Brenda Fassie. Sindiswa’s show was
a rendition and revitalization of that powerful spiritual musical tradition
that we have come to associate with Azania .
Clearly though, Sindiswa is a wonderful artist in her own right and of
course so too are Tess, and Akachi, and all the performers – drummers,
flutists, and others who were on stage at the colloquium. I can’t speak highly
enough of them all…
One of the
highlights of the conference was when the young lady – I presume her to be
Chinelo Achebe’s daughter – engaged the panel on “Achebe and the Hip Hop
Generation”. Intelligent, full of confidence, and speaking wisely and
knowledgeably at her apparently tender age, it was a sight to behold and my
heart leapt with joy. She seemed so aware of the inter-generational differences
and challenges, the (mis)assumptions and (mis)understandings between her
generation that is, and that of those mostly gathered there, and she spoke in
such a manner as to show how the generations could still differ and reconcile
or work together even with different perspectives in a common struggle for a
better world. That was simply a wonderful moment and truly just remarkable.
Kudos to the young lady, but also kudos to Chinelo and her dad and other family
members for contributing to making this young lady the precocious child she is.
We have people to take over. Indeed, she proved that the youth are already part
of our common battle…
Entertainment as I
have intimated was generally delightful and another highpoint in this
respect for me was coming back into the hall on the Friday evening after taking
a short break and hearing the brilliant band Eme and Heteru performing Alpha
Blondy’s popular song coco de
rasta. I will never forget how pleasantly gobsmacked and delighted, even
smitten I was to see the Mistress of Ceremony Professor Abena Busia jamming and
rocking to the reggae beat and the vibrant tunes being generated by the band.
Abena was swaying and grooving so well and coolly to the reggae that she looked
so unbelievably accomplished… Prior to that moment of privilege which I will
surely treasure forever I thought I loved Abena’s poetry, but seeing her dance,
I’m honestly not sure now which I prefer – her energetic-but-simultaneously-regal
and dignified dancing or the brilliant and formidable body of poetry that she
has produced over the years, which I teach yearly-without-fail to my students.
Maybe it’s best to love it all together…
The Friday night jam
was made more interesting, more live that is, with Chidi, Nwando Achebe and
others whose names I can’t remember joining on the floor and swinging to the
wonderful music. The talented band played a host of different songs in
different genres. I danced too, and I think I sweated more than I have in
recent times even while trying to work out and keep up some pretence of
fitness…
Seeing in flesh and
blood meeting for the first time the rather unassuming and generous Ekwueme
Michael Thelwell, another of our brilliant African descent men of letters,
actually getting to dine with him and other colleagues, savouring his
humour-in-conversation at close quarters, re-acquainting with my dear brother
Ike Achebe after years, Ike, who reclined mostly in the left part of the back
of the conference hall and studio in the pose of a capo or don, very relaxed,
taking it all in, which pose taken together with that of the
wonderful dramatist-performer Tess Onwueme’s barefooted walking, summed up,
for me, the cosy nature of the whole event.
Tess always
elegantly dressed, seemed to make life look a lot easier simply by walking
barefooted in and around the conference venue. Altogether this kinda captured
for me the generally relaxed atmosphere of the occasion. Another way of putting
it so to speak is that the ambience of the entire colloquium was generally one
of being with family so that such a basic thing as being asked by the retinue
of red-capped Igbo dancers and performers to take some group photographs of them
made me feel welcome, feel at home. Hearing Nwando Achebe speak, full of fervour, while deputizing, it would
seem for Abena Busia was a pleasure. I had heard Nwando once-upon-a-long-time
ago speak at some African studies conference or the other and I was saying to myself
as she introduced the programme that she still has her fire.
How can one of course forget being taken down memory lane, which especially for some of us first-timers who were hearing the beautiful anecdotes by Chinua Achebe’s close friends – Don Burness, Doris Soroko and others, and in particular being regaled by Ethel and Chike Momah with many interesting stories. Ethel, who also in another guise indicated vociferously that she wants simply to read and enjoy the novels and other texts and forget about the sometimes tortuous analysis that (we) literary critics apparently engage in.
How can one of course forget being taken down memory lane, which especially for some of us first-timers who were hearing the beautiful anecdotes by Chinua Achebe’s close friends – Don Burness, Doris Soroko and others, and in particular being regaled by Ethel and Chike Momah with many interesting stories. Ethel, who also in another guise indicated vociferously that she wants simply to read and enjoy the novels and other texts and forget about the sometimes tortuous analysis that (we) literary critics apparently engage in.
Chidi and the entire
Achebe family plus Brown
University . Daalu, daalu, daalu – thank you,
thank you and thank you for this intellectual and cultural feast and for
calling us your kinsmen and kinswomen to join you In celebration. i/we truly
appreciate it…
A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Things Fall Apart
Twitter @HerbertEkweEkweChinua Achebe, In Memoriam
No comments:
Post a Comment