REST IN PEACE OUR FATHER.....

23 May 2013 18:15

Achebe Laid To Rest In Nigeria. Pallbearers carry the coffin of late author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria

The body of late Nigerian author Chinua Achebe was buried in his home state of Anambra a day after arriving back from the US on 22 May 2013.

Achebe died in Boston on 21 March 2013, Aged 82. He had lived in the United States during the final years of his life, having worked as a professor at Brown University in Rhode Island from 2009 until his death.

The funeral was attended by thousands of people, including local dignitaries, politicians and the world-renowned author's family. Notable mourners included Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama; their presence there was in spite of Achebe’s critique of governance in the region and his refusal to accept national awards.

Achebe's most famous novel, Things Fall Apart, was published in 1958 and went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide. He was later widely referred to as the grandfather of African literature.

BBC reporter Will Ross described the lavish, well attended ceremony in Achebe's home state, saying: "Much of what Mr Achebe abhorred is on full display at the service - political patronage and the trappings of power. Local politicians are escorted into the church by men from the State Security Service wielding sophisticated weapons whilst a large number of men are women came (sic) dressed head to toe in political party outfits.

Today people are not just mourning the loss of Mr Achebe. They are also celebrating his extraordinary life which lives on through his powerful writing."

According to the Washington Post, "Pallbearers later entombed the writer’s casket in a mausoleum next to his home, as traditional dancers and others gathered. Outside, hawkers continued to sell Achebe’s books, a sign that the writer’s influence will continue long after these ceremonies come to an end.

The Anglican archbishop who presided over Achebe's funeral Ikechi Nwachukwu Nwosu reportedly concluded: “There are some people who cannot be buried.”