NOVELS
Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart, The Arrow of God, No Longer At Ease, Anthills of the Savannah, There Was A Country.
Chukwuemeka Ike: Toads for Supper, Potter’s Wheel, Sunset At Dawn, The Naked Gods, Expo “77,
Ken Saro Wiwa: Soza Boy, On a Darkling Plane, Tambari, A Forest of Flowers,
Elechi Amadi: The Concubine, Great Ponds, Estrangement, Pepper Soup & The Road to Ibadan, The Slave etc
INC Aniebo: Anonymity of Sacrifice, A Journey Within, Of Wives, Talismans, and The Dead, etc.
Emeka Aniagolu: Ozo: A Story of an Africa Knighthood, Ejima, African Glimpses, A Black Mustard Seed, Ikenga etc.
POETRY /COMPOSITIONS
Gabriel Okara: A Collection of Poems.
Obu Udeozo: Cyclone – An Anthology of Poems
Christopher Okigbo: Labyrinths, Heaven’s gate, Out of the depth of my Cry, The Passage, Thunder has Spoken, etc.
Obi Nwakanma: The Horsemen & Other Poems (An Anthology of Poems)
Laz Ekwueme: (Compositions) Ibike, Obi Dimkpa, Rhapsody Nigeriana, Missa Africana, A Night in Bethlehem, Hombe (Kenyan Folk Song).
Jide Obi: Pop start who led the Tixie Group a student pop group in Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria where such musical greats like Chris Okotie honed his musical teeth.
CHRONICLES
Alexander Madiebo: The Nigerian Revolution & The Biafran War
Achike Udenwa: The Nigeria/Biafra Civil War: My Experience
Captain Augustine Okpe: The Last Flight
Chike Momah: A Snake Under Thatch, The Shining Ones, Titi: Biafran Maid in Geneva, The Jericho Wall, etc.
ARTS & SCULPTING
Ben Enwonwu – Nigeria’s foremost sculptor who produced the statue of The Risen Christ at the University of Ibadan. Another great work of Ben Enwonwu is Tutu, dubbed The African Monalisa, by arts connoisseurs and reputed to have sold £1.6m in the London Arts Auction. Ogolo, 1992, Negritude, 1985, Obitun Dancers, 1990, Negritude, 1985 & The Female Form, among others.
BROADCASTING
We also boast of such great men who stamped their personality in the broadcast industry. They include:
Ernest Okonkwo: Peerless broadcaster and football commentator, Radio Nigeria
Ralph Opara: The golden voice of Radio Nigeria.
Charles Aniagolu: BBC & Arise Television.
BOOKS INFLUENCED BY THE UMUAHIAN SCHOOL
Part of the efforts would be to explore the enture African literary space to identify and bring within the purview authors representing a wide range of styles and approaches to writing, who carry Achebe’s influence of other works of Umuahians in their thematic explorations of Nigerian and African identity, culture, and history.
Below are some notable Nigerian authors who have been influenced by Achebe:
1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Works: Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus, Americanah
• Influence: Adichie has often cited Chinua Achebe as a major influence on her writing. She has spoken about how reading Things Fall Apart as a child showed her that stories about people like her could be written in their own voice. In fact, Achebe himself praised Adichie’s work, describing her as “part of the new generation of African writers” who carry forward the literary legacy.
2. Ben Okri
• Works: The Famished Road, Songs of Enchantment
• Influence: Okri’s blend of magical realism and deep exploration of Nigerian political and social realities is often seen as a continuation of Achebe’s themes of colonialism, identity, and postcolonial governance. While Okri’s style differs, the way he captures the essence of Nigerian experience has echoes of Achebe’s influence.
3. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Kenyan, but deeply influenced by Achebe)
• Works: Weep Not, Child, The River Between
• Influence: Although Kenyan, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has repeatedly mentioned Achebe as one of his inspirations. Both authors focus on how colonialism affected African societies, though Ngũgĩ often writes in Gikuyu to further assert cultural resistance to colonialism. Achebe’s influence on pan-African literary thought is clear in Ngũgĩ’s works.
4. Sefi Atta
• Works: Everything Good Will Come, Swallow
• Influence: Sefi Atta’s works explore postcolonial Nigeria, women’s experiences, and societal changes, similar to Achebe’s exploration of tradition and change in African societies. Her focus on the intricacies of Nigerian life, especially in the urban context, reflects Achebe’s influence.
5. Helon Habila
• Works: Waiting for an Angel, Oil on Water
• Influence: Habila’s novels deal with themes of political corruption, social decay, and the struggles of ordinary Nigerians, much like Achebe’s exploration of the effects of colonialism on traditional societies. Habila acknowledges Achebe’s role in inspiring him to take on the role of a storyteller for Nigeria’s contemporary issues.
6. Chigozie Obioma
• Works: The Fishermen, An Orchestra of Minorities
• Influence: Obioma’s work has been compared to Achebe’s for its focus on family dynamics and the effects of external influences on Nigerian life. His exploration of fate, tradition, and modernity echoes Achebe’s themes.
7. Buchi Emecheta
• Works: The Joys of Motherhood, Second-Class Citizen
• Influence: While Emecheta’s focus is often on the lives of women in Nigeria, her portrayal of traditional African life in conflict with colonial and postcolonial realities draws from Achebe’s pioneering work. Emecheta, like Achebe, is interested in how Western influences clash with African traditions.
8. A. Igoni Barrett
• Works: Blackass, Love Is Power, or Something Like That
• Influence: Barrett’s works, which explore urban life, social identities, and modern Nigeria, carry Achebe’s influence in terms of storytelling focused on societal shifts. His use of satire and humor also connects to Achebe’s critiques of colonialism and neocolonialism.
9. Ngozi Achebe (Niece to Chinua Achebe)
• Works Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter
Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart, The Arrow of God, No Longer At Ease, Anthills of the Savannah, There Was A Country.
Chukwuemeka Ike: Toads for Supper, Potter’s Wheel, Sunset At Dawn, The Naked Gods, Expo “77,
Ken Saro Wiwa: Soza Boy, On a Darkling Plane, Tambari, A Forest of Flowers,
Elechi Amadi: The Concubine, Great Ponds, Estrangement, Pepper Soup & The Road to Ibadan, The Slave etc
INC Aniebo: Anonymity of Sacrifice, A Journey Within, Of Wives, Talismans, and The Dead, etc.
Emeka Aniagolu: Ozo: A Story of an Africa Knighthood, Ejima, African Glimpses, A Black Mustard Seed, Ikenga etc.
POETRY /COMPOSITIONS
Gabriel Okara: A Collection of Poems.
Obu Udeozo: Cyclone – An Anthology of Poems
Christopher Okigbo: Labyrinths, Heaven’s gate, Out of the depth of my Cry, The Passage, Thunder has Spoken, etc.
Obi Nwakanma: The Horsemen & Other Poems (An Anthology of Poems)
Laz Ekwueme: (Compositions) Ibike, Obi Dimkpa, Rhapsody Nigeriana, Missa Africana, A Night in Bethlehem, Hombe (Kenyan Folk Song).
Jide Obi: Pop start who led the Tixie Group a student pop group in Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria where such musical greats like Chris Okotie honed his musical teeth.
CHRONICLES
Alexander Madiebo: The Nigerian Revolution & The Biafran War
Achike Udenwa: The Nigeria/Biafra Civil War: My Experience
Captain Augustine Okpe: The Last Flight
Chike Momah: A Snake Under Thatch, The Shining Ones, Titi: Biafran Maid in Geneva, The Jericho Wall, etc.
ARTS & SCULPTING
Ben Enwonwu – Nigeria’s foremost sculptor who produced the statue of The Risen Christ at the University of Ibadan. Another great work of Ben Enwonwu is Tutu, dubbed The African Monalisa, by arts connoisseurs and reputed to have sold £1.6m in the London Arts Auction. Ogolo, 1992, Negritude, 1985, Obitun Dancers, 1990, Negritude, 1985 & The Female Form, among others.
BROADCASTING
We also boast of such great men who stamped their personality in the broadcast industry. They include:
Ernest Okonkwo: Peerless broadcaster and football commentator, Radio Nigeria
Ralph Opara: The golden voice of Radio Nigeria.
Charles Aniagolu: BBC & Arise Television.
BOOKS INFLUENCED BY THE UMUAHIAN SCHOOL
Part of the efforts would be to explore the enture African literary space to identify and bring within the purview authors representing a wide range of styles and approaches to writing, who carry Achebe’s influence of other works of Umuahians in their thematic explorations of Nigerian and African identity, culture, and history.
Below are some notable Nigerian authors who have been influenced by Achebe:
1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Works: Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus, Americanah
• Influence: Adichie has often cited Chinua Achebe as a major influence on her writing. She has spoken about how reading Things Fall Apart as a child showed her that stories about people like her could be written in their own voice. In fact, Achebe himself praised Adichie’s work, describing her as “part of the new generation of African writers” who carry forward the literary legacy.
2. Ben Okri
• Works: The Famished Road, Songs of Enchantment
• Influence: Okri’s blend of magical realism and deep exploration of Nigerian political and social realities is often seen as a continuation of Achebe’s themes of colonialism, identity, and postcolonial governance. While Okri’s style differs, the way he captures the essence of Nigerian experience has echoes of Achebe’s influence.
3. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Kenyan, but deeply influenced by Achebe)
• Works: Weep Not, Child, The River Between
• Influence: Although Kenyan, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has repeatedly mentioned Achebe as one of his inspirations. Both authors focus on how colonialism affected African societies, though Ngũgĩ often writes in Gikuyu to further assert cultural resistance to colonialism. Achebe’s influence on pan-African literary thought is clear in Ngũgĩ’s works.
4. Sefi Atta
• Works: Everything Good Will Come, Swallow
• Influence: Sefi Atta’s works explore postcolonial Nigeria, women’s experiences, and societal changes, similar to Achebe’s exploration of tradition and change in African societies. Her focus on the intricacies of Nigerian life, especially in the urban context, reflects Achebe’s influence.
5. Helon Habila
• Works: Waiting for an Angel, Oil on Water
• Influence: Habila’s novels deal with themes of political corruption, social decay, and the struggles of ordinary Nigerians, much like Achebe’s exploration of the effects of colonialism on traditional societies. Habila acknowledges Achebe’s role in inspiring him to take on the role of a storyteller for Nigeria’s contemporary issues.
6. Chigozie Obioma
• Works: The Fishermen, An Orchestra of Minorities
• Influence: Obioma’s work has been compared to Achebe’s for its focus on family dynamics and the effects of external influences on Nigerian life. His exploration of fate, tradition, and modernity echoes Achebe’s themes.
7. Buchi Emecheta
• Works: The Joys of Motherhood, Second-Class Citizen
• Influence: While Emecheta’s focus is often on the lives of women in Nigeria, her portrayal of traditional African life in conflict with colonial and postcolonial realities draws from Achebe’s pioneering work. Emecheta, like Achebe, is interested in how Western influences clash with African traditions.
8. A. Igoni Barrett
• Works: Blackass, Love Is Power, or Something Like That
• Influence: Barrett’s works, which explore urban life, social identities, and modern Nigeria, carry Achebe’s influence in terms of storytelling focused on societal shifts. His use of satire and humor also connects to Achebe’s critiques of colonialism and neocolonialism.
9. Ngozi Achebe (Niece to Chinua Achebe)
• Works Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter
