It’s been a pretty emotional day. A great man has passed from our midst and spending time to think and to remember and to listen in on others remembering and honoring him is part of the ritual of grief. I am one of those who has been touched and inspired by the work of Chinua Achebe. He is one of my writing heroes.

I remember reading Chinua Achebe for the first time when I was in college. The local national bookstore had had a fresh delivery of books and they had four of his books on stock. I remember reading the opening chapter of Things Fall Apart and being unable to put the book back on the shelf. I had to take it with me. It took quite a while to save enough pocket money so I could buy the rest of his books. Amazingly, no one else seemed interested in those four books except me.

Small as this offering is, I wished to honor a great man. Your works were instrumental in helping me on the road towards decolonization. Thank you, Chinua Achebe.

Rest in peace. You live on in our hearts.