The passing of Chinua Achebe is a great loss not only for Nigeria and Africa but also for the world at large. I send my condolences and those of my brothers and sisters in The Gambia to our brethren of the great nation of Nigeria on the occasion of the death of the doyen of African literature, the most learned Chinua Achebe, "Towering Man of Letters" as the respected New York Times would call him. The loss of an icon and a repository of knowledge saddens us.
The Gambia has been mourning as well as celebrating Chinua Achebe during the past few weeks. We mourn his passing and yet are relieved and compensated by the wealth of knowledge and inspiration he left us. We are crying but we are also happy and we gladly celebrate his legacy. I guess this paradox of tears and laughter to mark his death was somehow foreshadowed by the doyen himself because a reviewer of his works once said that Achebe "makes you laugh and then catches your breath in horror." I, the one who has been labeled The Gambia's Pen, could not have been left behind in the mourning and celebration of Achebe. So when our national TV anchor Ebrima Baldeh (a student of African literature) sought me for an interview that was meant to be a tribute to Achebe. An 11-hour day at the office and its fatigue would not be enough to stop me from paying due respect to a deserving son of our continent. I left my office at 7 PM and drove straight to GRTS Headquarters in Kanifing.
The provocative journalist in Mr. Baldeh showed from the get go as he started his interview by quoting a jester who said that at the ripe age of 82, Chinua Achebe left the pitch of a football match eight minutes before the end and the game is incomplete. Surprised as I was at such a lighthearted way to start an interview that was meant to be a tribute, I smiled and answered: Well Chinua Achebe himself has answered this satirist of a jester. Chinua has not passed away he merely passes on from one state of being to another. His legacy lives in his books and teachings...
Momodou Sabally from Gambia pouring his heart
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