Achebe rejects Nigerian honor yet again
November 15, 2011
Chinua Achebe, the author of the critically-acclaimed novel Things Fall Apart, recently turned down an honorary national award for the second time. President Goodluck Jonathan offered him the ceremonial title of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, to which he responded with a short, frank rejection letter, The Associated Press reports.
"The reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed let alone solved," Achebe wrote in a letter, according to the AP. "It is inappropriate to offer it again to me."
Achebe now lives in Providence, Rhode Island and works as a professor of African studies, which the Nigerian president believes contributed to his rejection of the honor.
President Jonathan responded by saying that the author's response "clearly flies in the face of the reality of Nigeria's current political situation," according to the news source.
Both the nation's leader and one of its most well-known literary icons feel that their arguments are right, and people can make calls to Nigeria to discuss the situation with their friends.