Special Tribute to Chinua Achebe

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• Sani 12 years ago

  1. Remove all the poems in the work. They are not necessary. You can refer to them but not quote them all. People know about those poems already and where to find them if they want to read them
  
  2. Please, remove all those ...
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  1. Remove all the poems in the work. They are not necessary. You can refer to them but not quote them all. People know about those poems already and where to find them if they want to read them
  
  2. Please, remove all those numerous books you claim you have read because other people have also read them and there are many other African writers that other people reading this have read which YOU have not read! Writing the titles of hundreds of books and their writers is too unkind to the reader. Listing the books you have read is not the way to tell people you are a scholar.
  
  3. The Marriage of Anansewa is by Efua Sutherland and The Dilemma of a Ghost is by Ama Ata Aidoo, not the other way round.
  
  4. If you write a tribute to Achebe, there’s absolutely no need to mention Paa Kwesi Mintah or any other individual on ghanaweb especially since you also send your articles to other websites where Paa Kwesi Mintah doesn’t visit.
  
  5. If you write a tribute to Achebe, there’s absolutely no need to tell us that you don’t like reading e-books because you’re old fashioned. It may be better to concentrate on what you have to say about Achebe (the man and his work) and cut down on your own personal history! My goodness, it’s about Achebe, not about you!!! You may write a tribute to yourself later on, if you like...
  
  6. Things Fall Apart has been read by almost every African who learned to read. If you spend so much time in just re-telling the story (which everybody knows) then you shouldn't call the piece a tribute to Achebe. You should just tell us you are re-writing TFA. That is not really a tribute to him. You should title your piece: Special Tribute to Things Fall Apart
  
  7. Use your word processor’s spelling function to correct all the spelling mistakes and mis-joined words in the article before you release it to the public. It’s the least you can do to show some respect to your readers. If you use a secretary to type your work, do you ever check that she has typed correctly?
  
  8. I think you should have read Achebe’s memoirs, There was a Country, published last year before writing such a piece. If you had read that book, you would have known that Achebe never studied engineering. He went to Ibadan University College to study Medicine for which he received a scholarship. After a year, he changed to English, History and Theology and lost his scholarship as a result. (Look on page 28 of that book). If you had read the memoirs, you would never write “Ibo” because Achebe (whose tribute this is supposed to be) insists that one should write “Igbo”.
  
  9. Finally, I wish to ask you: As you were writing this piece, going on and on and on, did it ever occur to you that the piece was becoming too long for ghanaweb and not everything you write here is really, really, really important to be there?
  
  I come here to find faults with your work (which you don't like at all) not to shower praises on you (which you would rather have preferred) because I believe that constructive criticism (not insults) is far more beneficial to a writer than mere hollow praises... I suspect you think otherwise - that praises do a better work!!!

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• Kwadwo 12 years ago

  Ouch! A good way to humble a pompous fellow.

  Ouch! A good way to humble a pompous fellow.

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• Kwesi Atta Sakyi 12 years ago

  Sani' as a writer I accept some of your criticism but not all because I could detect some nuance of envy and jealousy in your effusive vituperations. Why don't you write your own since you are erudite? I will not for the whol ...
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  Sani' as a writer I accept some of your criticism but not all because I could detect some nuance of envy and jealousy in your effusive vituperations. Why don't you write your own since you are erudite? I will not for the whole world remove those quoted poems because one, I want them so to celebrate my hero. Second to refresh the memory of those who may have forgotten their lines or those who have not come across them. No plagiarism. Cry your own cry because we have different emotions and reactions

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• Sani 12 years ago

  When I criticize you, I do not expect you to accept all my points. Indeed, I even expect you to challenge those points and put up your own defense of them and provide the ground for discussion. The least I expect you to do is ...
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  When I criticize you, I do not expect you to accept all my points. Indeed, I even expect you to challenge those points and put up your own defense of them and provide the ground for discussion. The least I expect you to do is to defend yourself by saying the critic is jealous of you...
  
  When you attend your academic conferences and present your papers, do you answer your critics by telling them they are jealous of you?
  
  You give me ever more reasons to stop reading and commenting on your writings. I must really really really listen to myself!!!

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• ' and Jesus wept ' 12 years ago

  Cease fire!! The world, he said, is a stage where men and women are merely players. So long as we have writers, we will have critics too. You are both good in your individual endeavors. I will say kudos to both of you and kee ...
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  Cease fire!! The world, he said, is a stage where men and women are merely players. So long as we have writers, we will have critics too. You are both good in your individual endeavors. I will say kudos to both of you and keep on striving for the stars. It's healthy for generations yet unborn.

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• Kwesi Atta Sakyi 12 years ago

  Thank you very much. You are a man of wisdom and peace. I have heard your wise injuction to smoke the peace pipe because 'to err is human, to forgive is divine', according to William Shakespeare. Umoffia kwenu, yaa! Umuoffia ...
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  Thank you very much. You are a man of wisdom and peace. I have heard your wise injuction to smoke the peace pipe because 'to err is human, to forgive is divine', according to William Shakespeare. Umoffia kwenu, yaa! Umuoffia kwenu, yaa.!

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• Mark 12 years ago

  I think Sani's critique is right on the money. Kwesi has the literary skills to do a far better job than this. I think he veered off his topic for the most part. I got bored. I didn't really see it as a "tribute" but more as ...
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  I think Sani's critique is right on the money. Kwesi has the literary skills to do a far better job than this. I think he veered off his topic for the most part. I got bored. I didn't really see it as a "tribute" but more as a review of TFA. Okonkwo is not Achebe. There were also too many authors mentioned in this article. Kwesi you can do better.

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• Kwesi Atta Sakyi 12 years ago

  ' Good, better, best, May I never rest, Till my good is better, And my better best.' Mark, you ought to know what we call style or approach in academia. To me, the author as creator and his creatures of fictional characters ...
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  ' Good, better, best, May I never rest, Till my good is better, And my better best.' Mark, you ought to know what we call style or approach in academia. To me, the author as creator and his creatures of fictional characters are inseparable and conjoined. Whether Okonkwo is Achebe or Achebe is Okonkwo is neither here or there. We are celebrating the man and his works. To me Moliere is Harpagon, and vice versa.

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• Mark 12 years ago

  It seems to me Kwesi is using this ocassion to display his vast knowledge of literature rather than paying a tribute to Achebe. I agree Kwesi that you should, as we all should, keep improving in what we do to get better. I th ...
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  It seems to me Kwesi is using this ocassion to display his vast knowledge of literature rather than paying a tribute to Achebe. I agree Kwesi that you should, as we all should, keep improving in what we do to get better. I think you're already a good writer and if you work on your content, you'll go places. Good luck my friend!

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• Luck 12 years ago

  I have read some of the comments on this tribute which seem to me like experts in the fields judging companions.Perhaps they know the intricacies of the art form and where they think it could be improved.But I must confess th ...
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  I have read some of the comments on this tribute which seem to me like experts in the fields judging companions.Perhaps they know the intricacies of the art form and where they think it could be improved.But I must confess that I found the tribute captivating and so interesting that my appetite for literature which was lost so many years ago had suddenly rekindled and have started flowing.It takes a good write up to hold my attention that long maybe because of the quality of Achebe's book or perhaps Kwesi Atta Sakyi's style.What ever it is,I tremendously enjoyed the tribute and hope to read more of this quality write ups from quality minds.

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• kayode 12 years ago

  You can Chukuemeka Ike "Wincent"; in your own country, you call my friend Cameron Duodu "Cameron Doudu" and his novel, The Gab Boys, "The Garb Boys".
  Were you taught to check your facts? Some youngster might copy your artic ...
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  You can Chukuemeka Ike "Wincent"; in your own country, you call my friend Cameron Duodu "Cameron Doudu" and his novel, The Gab Boys, "The Garb Boys".
  Were you taught to check your facts? Some youngster might copy your article because it is crammed with names and titles. But it could be a wasteful and even harmful exercise. Please don't be lazy when writing about such important subjects.

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• kayode 12 years ago

  I mean to write : you call"'
  Good thing I had to come back: "The Dilemma of a Ghost" was written by Ama Ata Aidoo, not Efua Sutherland.

  I mean to write : you call"'
  Good thing I had to come back: "The Dilemma of a Ghost" was written by Ama Ata Aidoo, not Efua Sutherland.

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• Osei Yao 12 years ago

  YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ACHEBE. HE WAS NOT SUPERSTITIOUS. HE WAS SIMPLY ASSERTING THAT THE SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF IN A VENGEFUL, GOD WHO PUNISHES BY HELL-FIRE, IS NOT SUPERIOR TO THE BELIEFS HELD BY AFRICANS. YOUR MISSIONARY-TRAINED ...
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  YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ACHEBE. HE WAS NOT SUPERSTITIOUS. HE WAS SIMPLY ASSERTING THAT THE SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF IN A VENGEFUL, GOD WHO PUNISHES BY HELL-FIRE, IS NOT SUPERIOR TO THE BELIEFS HELD BY AFRICANS. YOUR MISSIONARY-TRAINED TEACHERS CHARACTERISED THESE BELIEFS AS SUPERSTITION. READ "KOFI BEMPAH'S "AKAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION" TO EDUCATE YOURSELF.

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• Muchindu 12 years ago

  This piece is well thought. I feel it seems a little too long and laden with poems.

  This piece is well thought. I feel it seems a little too long and laden with poems.

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