With its theme as “Governance, Security and Peace in Africa,” the 2012 colloquium attracted leading experts from academia, business, non-governmental organizations, and governments from Africa, Europe and the United States. The Colloquium was well-attended by delegates who actively participated in two days of intense deliberation and exchange of ideas on the importance of strengthening democracy and peace on the African continent. The Colloquium featured panel discussions which highlighted the complex security issues that confront African nations, security challenges surrounding the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, homegrown terrorism, and the persistence of ethno-religious insurgency. The colloquium noted that these were serious concerns that challenge the establishment of institutions and principles of good governance on the continent.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
2012 Chinua Achebe Colloquium On Africa Communique
With its theme as “Governance, Security and Peace in Africa,” the 2012 colloquium attracted leading experts from academia, business, non-governmental organizations, and governments from Africa, Europe and the United States. The Colloquium was well-attended by delegates who actively participated in two days of intense deliberation and exchange of ideas on the importance of strengthening democracy and peace on the African continent. The Colloquium featured panel discussions which highlighted the complex security issues that confront African nations, security challenges surrounding the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, homegrown terrorism, and the persistence of ethno-religious insurgency. The colloquium noted that these were serious concerns that challenge the establishment of institutions and principles of good governance on the continent.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Achebe's 'There Was A Country' Discussed At The House Of Commons
Chinua Achebe's There Was A Country: Reflections from the Nigerian Diaspora
Chinua Achebe
- adversely affected peacebuilding and state-building across Nigeria (with reference to reconciliation, integration and equality)?
- shaped the relationship between the Nigerian State and ordinary Nigerians?
- influenced broader understanding of how to tackle the deep and growing levels of economic and social inequality polarising Nigeria?
- affected access to justice, transparency and accountability as well as tackling state impunity in Nigeria?Chair: Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science & Digital Infrastructure
Speakers:
- Donu Kogbara, Print and broadcast journalist and Board Member, Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority
- Dipo Salimonu, Eirenicon Africa and founding partner of Ateriba Limited
- Onyekachi Wambu, Director Policy and Engagement, African Foundation for Development (AFFORD)
- Dr Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u, Senior Lecturer in Media and Politics, Northumbria University There are a limited number of places so if you would like to attend, please RSVP by email to: events@fpc.org.uk
Thursday, November 15, 2012
2012 Achebe Colloquium on Africa (December 7 and 8, 2012)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Plagiarism: Dike’s Suit Against Two UNIPORT Professors For January 15
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
PhotoNews: Barack And Michelle Obama As A Young Couple
The picture was accompanied by this equally moving caption: "She voted for him for the same reason she married him - his character. Cast your ballot for President Obama today."
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Producer Of Popular Sitcom, "Clinic Matters" Honoured In Paris
CEO of Whitestone Cinema Ltd, Paul Igwe, introducing the company to chief executives from over 52 countries @ B.I.D
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Whitestone Cinema Ltd, Mr. Paul Igwe, who also directs the sitcoms, received the gold category of the award at an impressive ceremony at the Concorde La Fayette Hotel Convention Hall in Paris yesterday.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Chinua Achebe’s 'There Was A Country - A Personal History Of Biafra'
By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Achebe Colloquium On Africa 2012
Professor Chinua Achebe Reads A Poem At
The 2011 Achebe Colloquium On Africa
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Chinua Achebe's "There Was A Country: A Personal History Of Biafra" [ A Review]
Chinua Achebe's "There Was A Country: A Personal History Of Biafra" – A Review
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Patience Jonathan, The Inimitable Dame!
*Mrs Patience Jonathan
(pix: onobello)
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Is The West Lusting For Robert Mugabe Again?
Two interesting incidents that played out on the international scene recently clearly underlined the profound confusion of values that has crept into Western policies and attitudes towards President Robert Mugabe of
*Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe And His Wife, Grace... |
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Achebe's "There Was A Country" Among TIME Magazine’s 12 Most Highly Anticipated Books Of The Fall
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RELATED REPORT
Chinua Achebe's There Was A Country - A Personal History Of Biafra
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
Chinua Achebe: 'Peaceful World My Sincerest Wish'
Recently, the classic African novel Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, was
translated into Persian by Ali Hodavand and released in Iran. Nasrin
Pourhamrang, Editor-in-Chief of Hatef Weekly Magazine interviewed the author on a wide range of topics from Art, culture
and literature; politics, cultural and linguistic preservation; to the legacy
of colonialism and his forthcoming book, There
Was a Country-A Personal History of Biafra.
Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. He was raised in the large village
of Ogidi, one of the first centers of Anglican missionary work in Eastern
Nigeria, and is a graduate of University College, Ibadan. His early career in
radio ended abruptly in 1966, when he left his post as Director of External
Broadcasting in Nigeria during the national upheaval that led to the Biafran
War. Achebe joined the Biafran Ministry of Information and represented Biafra
on various diplomatic and fund-raising missions. He was appointed Senior
Research Fellow at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and began lecturing widely
abroad. For over fifteen years, he was the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of
Languages and Literature at Bard College. He is now the David and Marianna
Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at
Brown University.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' Translated Into Persian
Chinua Achebe
Soyinka’s Utterance Against Me Is “Aggravated Libel” – Maja-Pearce
BY YEMI ADEBISI
Wole Soyinka
How would you describe your experience so far in Nigeria’s book industry?
I’m right now a consultant for Evans. Evans bought over Nelson Publishers and they want to develop together a literary series. I told them we shouldn’t leave the foreign publishers to be publishing Nigerian writers. Some of these old publishing houses publish textbooks for schools. We are ready to publish six papers every year. Instead of waiting for other series, let’s publish the first two so we would generate interest. We would begin to launch our first papers in November at the Lagos Book Fair that is run by Toyin Akinosho. We have to make things happen in Nigeria. Apart from that I have a small publishing company since 2005 called New Gong. So that is really a small fascinating publishing house we have and we don’t physically publish books. We load up a book and then they print, sell it as Print On Demand (POD). We don’t have probably any physical book in Nigeria. If you want to buy it you have to go online to purchase the book. The only problem we have in Nigeria is distribution because in small developed country like South Africa and even in America, the publisher is not involved in selling the book. The publisher goes to train that we have so, so and so copies, bla, bla, bla. So the train has bookshops all over the countries and they will distribute it. So the publisher doesn’t know how they sell the books; we don’t have that in Nigeria.
Adewale Maja-Pearce
Let’s talk about the POD you spoke about. Judging by probably what you have been able to put together, what would you advise an author that wishes to publish through such medium too?
Anybody can do it. If you simply go to our site, there is an icon in the site called ‘create space.’ When the book is ready you upload it, the cover and the inside pages. They will give you a file page so that every of your work will be filed. What you see about a week is your book on our site. We print and sell as requested. And it is a big advantage, a very big one.
There is this rumour that you have some personal grudges with Wole Soyinka over your comments in your review on one of his books. It was even gathered that you were exchanging abusive words publicly. Can you throw more light into this?
Grudge! No! I first met Soyinka shortly after he won the Nobel Prize because I used to work for a magazine in London called Index On Censorship. I was their African editor from 1983 to 1997. So, before I joined, Soyinka had already been published by them and also had written for them. He was familiar with the magazine. So when I joined, I told him, “I am the new African editor. I hope you will continue with us.” We have a means he used to send us materials; we had a good working relationship. The problem came when he published You Must Set Forth At Dawn. I was asked by the London Review of Books to review it. I didn’t like the book so I gave my reasons. So, when it came out people told me that Soyinka didn’t take it kindly with criticism. I was just working for a magazine anyway.