Anambra Gears Up for the 2023 Chinua Achebe Literary Festival and Memorial Lecture
In the wave of celebrating literary legacy, Soludo, Obi, others to attend 2023 Achebe memorial lecture on Thursday.
Mary Nwaeze 
In what promises to be a convergence of literary enthusiasts, intellectuals, and political heavyweights, Awka, the capital city of Anambra, is set to host the 2023 Chinua Achebe Literary Festival and Memorial Lecture on Thursday. The Coordinator of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (Anambra State Chapter), Izunna Okafor, shared details about the preparations for the event.
The festival, now in its 8th edition, serves as an annual homage to the late Nigerian literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe, celebrating his life, works, and enduring legacy. Okafor disclosed that this year's festival, scheduled for November 16, 2023, will take place at the Anambra State Central E-Library, also known as the Prof. Kenneth Dike State Library, starting at 10 am.
The theme for this year's event is "Ten Years After… Remembering Achebe’s Legacies in Today’s Nigeria."
The prestigious Achebe Memorial Lecture will be delivered by the 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, with the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, gracing the occasion as the Special Guest of Honour.
The event will be chaired by the award-winning writer and Traditional Ruler of Obosi, H.R.H. Igwe Chidubem Iweka. The Royal Father of the Day will be the Traditional Ruler of Achebe’s hometown, Ogidi, H.R.H. Igwe Alex Uzo Onyido, alongside numerous other dignitaries.
"The festival will feature the 2023 Achebe Lecture, drama, spoken word poetry, announcement of the winners of the 2023 Chinua Achebe Essay Writing Competition (for secondary schools), special reading, award presentation, among other literary packages slated for the day," Okafor stated.
He also revealed that the occasion would witness the unveiling and presentation of the 8th Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Anthology, titled "Anthills of Words (In Memory of Achebe)." This international anthology, a tribute to Achebe, includes contributions from writers across the globe.
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As the literary community comes together to honor Achebe's 93rd posthumous birthday and mark ten years since his passing, the event is expected to draw literary icons from both within and outside the country. Born on November 16, 1930, in Ogidi, Anambra, Professor Chinua Achebe, the eminent Nigerian writer and author of "Things Fall Apart," passed away on March 21, 2013, leaving an indelible mark on the world of literature.
