At the inaugural week-long Things Fall Apart Festival, celebrating the 67th anniversary of Chinua Achebe’s literary landmark, Nigerian author Chimamanda 8Ngozi Adichie delivered a moving keynote that resonated far beyond the cultural gathering. Held in Enugu’s Centre for Memories, the festival aimed to honour Achebe’s legacy through immersive performances and intellectual discourse.
Dressed in a vibrant burnt-orange African print and radiant with determination, Adichie stood before a packed hall, declaring, “It’s always a homecoming when I return to the south-east, but it no longer feels like home.” Her words captured deep concern over escalating violence in Igbo lands, citing unrest driven by separatist tensions and alarming incidents of ritual killings.
Adichie recalled recent tragedies with sadness, stating, “We hear grotesquely inhumane stories of people murdered in ritual practices for money … the victims of this recent upsurge of barbarism are mostly women.” She invoked Achebe’s wisdom by saying, “In Igbo culture nothing is more sacred than life itself … we are participating in our own destruction.”
For Adichie, the solution lies within, not outside. She urged the community to address its internal wounds before seeking political redress, arguing, “We often speak of political marginalization … we must pause that conversation until we have cleaned our own house. We must unite. Unity doesn’t mean the absence of differences, it is the decision to come together despite them.”
Set against a backdrop of a recreated Umuofia village—complete with traditional huts masks waterfalls and yam barns—the festival brought Achebe’s fictional world to life. A weekend of theatrical reenactments staged readings art exhibitions memory walks film screenings and cultural performances underscored the enduring relevance of Achebe’s vision.
The atmosphere was electric as the Ajofia masquerade made a ceremonial entrance beneath torchlight, reminding attendees of the spiritual connections at the heart of Igbo identity. In her speech Adichie drew parallels between Achebe’s Umuofia and today’s Igbo communities suggesting that cultural revival begins with grassroots reclamation.
Festival director Iheanyi Igboko emphasized the event’s purpose as “a mirror a declaration of identity and a provocation” echoing Achebe’s challenge to colonial narratives. Attendees expressed a mix of inspiration and urgency. One young banker observed that the event was “a reminder to preserve culture and tell our stories.” An artist who created festival lanterns added that Achebe “helped us see who we are not as people of darkness but of dignity and tradition.”
Adichie’s presence also coincides with her return to Nigeria to promote her upcoming novel Dream Count, her first in over a decade. The novel continues her exploration of identity and belonging and was frequently referenced in discussions across festival panels.
