Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has described Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, as the greatest African book of all time.
Speaking in a recent interview with TV3, Edochie said the novel deserved the recognition because it tells the African story from an African perspective.
He argued that the book might not have achieved its level of popularity if it had focused on the experiences of colonialists rather than Africans.
According to the actor, several African writers have attempted to tell the continent’s stories since Achebe published the novel, but none has matched its strength.
“The reason why ‘Things Fall Apart’ is the greatest book ever written on the African continent is because it is telling our own story.
“If it had been telling the story of the White man, it won’t be that popular. Many others have made efforts since then but not as strong as ‘Things Fall Apart’,” he said.
Edochie also urged African writers and creatives to prioritise stories rooted in their culture, describing this as their unique strength on the global stage.
The actor lamented what he sees as the influence of foreign cultures on African identity, recalling that he was once called Elvis Presley and John Wayne.
He said he eventually abandoned the names in favour of a culturally relevant identity, adopting the Igbo name Uwadiegwu.
“I actually enjoyed answering those names but at some point I had to discard them and pick a name that’s culturally relevant to me. Then I went back to the root and started answering Uwadiegwu,” he added.
