[YI] Role of Young People in Africa's Cultural Revolution

Many people still don’t understand what Africa is about and they are deeply confused about our potential as a people and a continent. This week we focus on African: our art, our music, our literature, our sport, our fashion, and our stories. What positive and negative impact has globalization had on African heritage? What have we lost and what have we gained? What have we contributed as a young generation to the Cultural Revolution? How are we using today’s tools to tell people about our lives, our values and beliefs? What can Africa teach the world and how can we paint a more positive picture of the continent? 

.. it is the story that owns us.

Once upon a time there was a great, humble and generous man who believed in many things, and who uttered those and many other frank and fearless words - his name was Chinua Achebe. In 1958, his first novel,Things Fall Apart, was published and its main character - the Nigerian farmer Okonkwo, who struggled to preserve his customs and culture despite pressure from British colonizers - was introduced to the world. Not only did this work challenge European narratives about Africans it also put to test long held notions about the shape and purpose of the novel. His other works such as the arrow of God (1964), Anthill of Savanah (1988), A man of the people (1966)also greatly introduced Nigerian culture to the world. On Thursday 21 March, we lost a giant; Prof Achebe was not only a person but a movement that defined African culture. He was one of our most prolific icons, a fearless defender of integrity, justice and democracy, and a true son of African literature who used his words to paint a truer picture of African culture and thus abolished many misconceptions about the continent and her people