CHINUA ACHEBE AND THE IGBOS OF TODAY

By Charles Ogbu.

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

As we celebrate 66 years since that literary colossus, Chinualumogu Achebe published ‘Things Fall Apart’ (TFA), a book that later became one of the greatest 20 books in history, it is important we use this opportunity to do some sober reflection on how far we have derailed as Ndigbo. A society with no capacity for self introspection is a society headed for Golgotha.

Looking at the quantum of wisdom and values embedded in ‘Things Fall Apart’, one would struggle to believe it was written by a young man below 28 as far back as 1958. Less than 28 years old (seeing as a book must have been written before its publication) yet, he knew almost everything there is, was and ever will be, to know about Ndigbo, their value system, ways of life, the dos and the don’t, belief system, openness to change as well as the place of respect for hard work and achievement.

Today, we have Igbo elders who don’t just sit at home and watch the she-goat suffer the pains of parturition in tethers, they, in some cases, use their hands to tether the she-goat while she’s in labor. Nothing is regarded as ‘nso ana’ anymore (abomination)

Today, we have Igbo youths of 28 and above, to which I belong, behaving like complete morons. When they speak or act, you just want to pause and die crying…crying at how people who share the same ancestral DNA as that literary god, Achebe could be this mentally barren. Fully grown adults shooting themselves in the foot while foolishly believing it is their enemies that will feel the pain. Young Okonkwos with too much emotion, yet, zero reason. Zero tact. Listening to no one but themselves. Ignoring every wise counsel and hellbent on continuing in sin because they think grace abound.

Ndigbo and AlaIgbo are now ruled by the spirit of ‘ocha gbute, ocharo gbute’ (any which way na way)

Just like the lazy Unoka, some of our youths now spend more time visiting native doctors and pastors and prophets for ‘ego mbute’ with no Priestess Chika to rebuke them like she did Unoka: “Go home and work like a man”. Some of our Igwes and elders now sell chieftaincy titles to known criminals and kidnappers. Titled men now take people’s land with the Igwe turning a blind eye.

Our land now flows freely with the blood of our kit and kins spilled by our own kind with impunity.

Elders and youths alike now compete over who will kill more of the same people who call them fathers and siblings.

We now have more Okonkwos with unbridled arrogance and faux sense of omniscience who think nzogbu nzogbu is the best way of getting things done. Young Igbos willing to set AlaIgbo ablaze and see it burn to ashes because in their delusion, they think they are hurting the federal govt. And elders who are meant to be our Ogbuefi Ezeudus are themselves co-authors of our misfortune and as such, lack the moral authority to offer counsel to anyone.

Zero tact. Zero introspection. Zero circumspection. Just empty noise everywhere. Someone will see ordinary one million naira in his account and the next thing he does is to come to social media to start boasting of how he’s the richest man on earth.

The land once inhabited by legendary and visionary leaders like the Ziks, the Okparas, the Mbakwes, the Mbonus, the Mbadiwes, etc have now been hijacked by political bandits and crooks and fraudsters masquerading as governors and lawmakers. Even the so called Liberators have since proven to be Pharaohs masquerading as Moses.

Do we even have an Igbo Agenda? Everyone just wants to be king even if there are no kingdoms.

This thing would be a hilarious joke if it wasn’t such a crying shame.

Indeed, AlaIgbo has Fallen Apart and we Igbos are No Longer At Ease.

May God save us from ourselves.

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