Don't Stop Telling Me Stories

I prefer to read books about dragons, super powers and mythical worlds, instead of reading books that profess to teach me ten tips that guarantee a successful career. I am happy to get lost with C.S Lewis, following him like a mouse entranced by the Pied Piper of Hamelin, as he introduces me to a world that did not exist until he created it. I give no excuses for believing wholeheartedly in his created world. The created world is usually a world that defies human logic, and in this illogical world, I would follow his instructions in order to understand the new logic that makes his created world work logically. 

I would get lost in the Iliad and the Odyssey (sorry to disappoint, I only read the children's version) and in my mind, recreate how Odysseus' dog died of joy after waiting so many years for his master's return. I would imagine how if the world in Harry Potter was real, I would not flinch if the portrait of my grandmother hanging in the living room, instructs me to wash my hands after eating eba. I would also get lost in Igbo land as Achebe explains the pride and resourcefulness of his people. I would imagine his proverb about the lizard that dropped from an Iroko tree, and began to nod as a gesture to praise himself for his heroic descent, since no one else chose to celebrate him. Can I forget my Chimamanda Adichie, who enticed me with the scent of her Purple Hibiscus and invigorated my mind with the beauty of an authentic story.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Achebe was not shouting out to his haters... or the equivalent of that in his days.

Photo Credit

A Young Achebe
Photo Credit

Today let’s look at Chinua Achebe. His name is synonymous with literary prowess, intelligence and many other good things, but do you know how old he was when he published his first book, “Things Fall Apart”? Our dear Prof. Achebe published this literary classic in 1958, and he was born in 1930. It’s time to do the maths. Roughly, depending on the month of publication, Prof. Achebe would have been 27 or 28 years old. Achebe went on to publish “No Longer at Ease” in 1960, “Arrow of God” in 1964,  “A Man of the People” 1966 and “Anthills of the Savannah” in 1987.

This is not in any way implying that if you have not found your niche by the age of 27, you are still on track according to Achebe’s time line.  Rather the message is this- what are you doing to prepare and equip yourself for the task ahead? Achebe was getting an education at the University of Ibadan (whoop whoop!) he was reading Joseph Conrad’s novels and other novels that depicted Africa wrongly, and in 1958 he decided to do something about the perception of Africa by publishing his own side of the story (by the way, books don’t get written in a second).

Achebe searched for and found himself in his twenties. If all you are doing right now is chilling, calling out imaginary haters on Instagram and Facebook, and blaming the government for your woes, I’m sorry to say you may not be on the right track.