Achebe, Chinua

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Nigerian novelist. His themes include the social and political impact of European colonialism on African people, and the problems of newly independent African nations. His best-known work is the influential Things Fall Apart (1958), one of the first African novels to achieve a global reputation.

His other novels include Arrow of God (1964), which depicts traditional Ibo society and the response of individual Ibos to European missionaries and administrators. No Longer at Ease (1960), A Man of the People (1966), and The Anthills of Savannah (1987) reveal the lasting effects of colonialism for contemporary Nigerians. Achebe has also written children's books, Chike and the River (1972) and How the Leopard Got Its Claws (1973), the short story collection Girls at War and Other Stories (1972), and a volume of poetry, Christmas in Biafra (1973). He also founded and edited Okike (1971), an African journal of new writing, and has received numerous awards, including the Man Booker International Prize in 2007.

The flag is known as the ‘Lone Star’ banner. The red triangle symbolizes the blood shed in the fight for freedom from Spain. The blue stripes stand for Cuba's three provinces. Effective date: 20 May 1902. >>