Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist and poet. He was born in 1930. His first novel, Things Fall Apart (written in 1958), set the theme for his subsequent work: the impact of Western influences on traditional African society. Achebe's other works include The Arrow of God (written in 1964), and A Man of the People (written in 1966). Unsentimental, often ironic, they vividly convey tribal culture and the very speech of the Ibo people. Achebe' s later works include a short-story collection, Girls at War (written in 1972), and Christmas in Biafra and Other Poems (published in 1973). Since 1971 he has been co-editor of Okike, one of Africa's most influential literary magazines. Research Chinua Achebe
The Ibo are a west African cultural group occupying south east Nigeria and numbering about 18,000,000. Primarily cultivators by tradition, they inhabit the richly forested tableland, bounded by the river Niger to the west and the river Cross to the east. They are divided into five main groups, and their languages belong to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family. Research Ibo
The Ibo was a Portuguese gun boat of 403 tons displacement launched in 1921. The Ibo was powered by two cylindrical boilers providing a top speed of 13 knots and a range of 5120 km at 9 knots. She carried a complement of 67 and was armed with two 3 inch guns and two 47 mm guns. Research Ibo
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a republic in west central Africa. It has a total area of 28,050 km2. The climate is tropical; always hot and humid. The terrain consists of coastal plains rising to interior hills, on volcanic islands. Natural resources are timber, crude oil, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium. The religion is nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic; with some pagan practices retained. The official language is Spanish with pidgin English, Fang, Bubi and Ibo also spoken. The country was formed from various islands and the mainland province of Rio Muni by the Spanish in 1865 as Spanish Guinea, gaining self-government in 1963 and full independence in 1968. Research Equatorial Guinea
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in west Africa. The climate is tropical in the centre and arid in the north. The terrain is southern lowlands that merge into central hills and plateaus with mountains in the south- east and plains in the north. Natural resources are crude oil, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc and natural gas. The religion is 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, 10% indigenous beliefs. The official language is English with Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and about 500 other indigenous languages also widely used.
Nigeria was a British protectorate from the 19th century, becoming a federation in 1954 and independent as a constitutional monachy in 1960 and a republic in 1963. Research Nigeria
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Chinua Achebe
