Chinua Achebe: As children, we had no idea how famous our father was – Chidi
By James Eze (jameseze1@yahoo.com)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006

There are only few Nigerians with Professor Chinua Achebe’s good name. Fewer still have an accomplished family as the widely acclaimed Father of the African novel. Achebe’s children all have the prefix, "Dr." to their names. In a recent exchange, the septuagenarian’s second son, Chidi Chike Achebe gives a rare insight into the world of the Achebe’s. Chidi Chike Achebe, 38, MD, MPH is remarkable for treading the path his father turned away from --- medicine.

His appointment in his early thirties as medical director of a medical center in Boston, MA, USA made global headlines. This was assured by his youth and the fact that he is one of a few black male medical executives in a city regarded as the center of American medical excellence – home to Harvard, Tufts and Boston University medical schools.
Dr. Achebe has appeared in America’s leading media including the highly regarded television show Basic Black, the prestigious Boston Globe as well as the online magazine AOL Black Voices’ movers and shakers section; and was interviewed by the distinguished radio journalist Barbara Nealy on her award winning Commonwealth Journal for WUMB radio.

Educated at Harvard and Dartmouth, Chidi is currently working towards his third Ivy league degree and is enrolled in the pioneer class of Yale University School of Management’s ambitious MBA for Executives: Leadership in Health Care program – an innovative and rigorous business and management two year program established to improve the quality of America’s health care leaders. He is also playing an active role as an executive in his father’s foundation – The Chinua Achebe Foundation. Excerpts:

Kindly acquaint us with your educational background so far. I say so far because I am aware that the journey is still on-going.
I was educated at Bard College where my father Professor Chinua Achebe, is the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature, and my mother Professor Christie Achebe, is a Professor of Psychology. There, I earned a B.A. in Natural Sciences, with a minor in History and Philosophy. I later obtained an M.P.H. (Masters in Public Health) from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from Dartmouth College Medical School. I am currently at the Yale School of Management studying for an MBA (Masters in Business Administration).

Your profile shows you have a rather diverse, disparate background that yokes science, business and the humanities together. Do you believe, as Aristotle, in the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge sake?
I believe that there should be a seamless interplay of myriad fields of knowledge - be it science, politics, business and/or art. Exposure to as many aspects or disciplines of knowledge sharpens your intellect and enhances you as a human being.

In our family, several members have both science and art degrees or intersecting interests. Dad as you know started off in medicine and we can all be grateful that he ended up as a writer. My older brother Ike holds a masters and a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge in the UK and another masters in Computer Sciences. My maternal uncle, the late Dr. Samuel Okoli (one of my mentors), was a UK trained physician - (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) - and apart from running a hospital in Lagos, also was deeply interested in the arts, music and literature.

So, growing up, you can see how the demarcation between various fields was made artificial in my mind. Having said that, however, I must point out that "a clear pattern can be identified amongst the entropy." With every new degree I have acquired, there is an underlying thread – health care. Even the Business degree I am working towards has a health care emphasis.

One of the great things about the United States is that there is a great deal of respect for all things intellectual. Your American professors make it crystal clear that education, or rather knowledge, is power. The earliest philosphers understood this, and the great civilizations celebrated this fact. The founding fathers of America – men with great intellectual dexterity – developed a vision for American greatness and mapped out a path for her prosperity in the form of the much celebrated American constitution, in part because of their diverse and excellent education. So yes, I believe that knowledge is power… but I do also believe that knowledge and education should be used to improve the plight of human kind…in other words, one must use accumulated knowledge to make the world a better place.

You have chains of degrees in medicine. Your father, great Achebe, was headed for medicine before providence rescued him for us. Does your father see your medical career as a fulfilment of his aborted journey into medicine?
I honestly do not think so. He has always wanted us (his children) to blaze our own paths in the world…and brought us up to work hard and by God’s Grace do so…

Did you at any point in medical school have any urge at all to allow history repeat itself by making a detour to the arts?
Everyone who has gone to medical school has once or twice decided to pack their bags and "head for the hills" during periods of great stress (laughter). But you don’t…you can’t, especially those of us from the Third World… because there is too much at stake…too much dependent on your making a success of yourself. So, no…I never entertained the thought of making a detour to the arts.

Your father is no ordinary man in Africa and the world. Did you feel any pressure, growing up and now, to live up to what people expect of an Achebe?
James, I am not sure what the term "what people expect of an Achebe" really means. I spend no time worrying about what others think of me. I trust in and pray to God and work hard. When Nelson Mandela was asked what kept him going in prison for so long, he alluded to an inner spiritual drive. I draw great wisdom from that… you must be your greatest driver…propelling yourself to greater and higher achievements while keeping GOD at the center of everything you do…

What are the challenges, peculiar and normal of being an Achebe?
I consider my self and my siblings very fortunate to have been placed by providence in a family with such formidable, albeit down to earth parents. "To whom much is given, much is expected." So, like my older brother (Dr Ike Achebe) likes to say, one must "just get on with it."

Your sister, Chinelo Ejueyitche seems to have taken an unfair share of your father's fictive mind, authoring a number of novels. Have you ever nursed a desire to express yourself in fictional prose?
I secretly write poetry… I have written several political essays. I do not have any plans to be a novelist; if that is what you are asking. Chinelo is brilliant…and that is one of her blessings from God. We are all proud of her. She is venturing into an arena where critics are waiting like "pirhuana fish" to devour you… often mainly because "you dare to follow in your father’s footsteps…who do these Achebes think they are?" (laughter). One of my siblings, who had/has no desire to be a writer, was told before a class that "you will never be like your father." (laughter). So, you have to take things in stride…

Is there a discernible nexus between the arts and medicine?
Clearly the best physicians are also artists. How can you be an excellent plastic surgeon for instance, and not be an artist? One steeped in the knowledge of the aesthetic? It is not possible. There is great artistry in scientific and medical decision making. Many Mathematicians will speak of their equations as "things of great beauty or art." Engineers, Architects fuse both the scientific and the artistic in their designs. So, yes, there is a clear connection between the arts and science and medicine.

In your book: An African Sojourner's Perspective of America, and a number of other essays, you sounded so much a part of America that it would be difficult to still claim you for Nigeria. How often do you worry about the human condition in Nigeria?
My work with the foundation and my political essays, I think, clearly demonstrate my link to and affection for Nigeria. It is true that I have now lived longer in America than in Nigeria – I first came to America with my parents when I was 5 years old and have now lived here for over 22 years ( I am 38) – but I am as Nigerian as they come. I was born in Nigeria and I am a Nigerian citizen. Nobody can take that fact away from me. How can the son of the author of "Things Fall Apart" not be? (laughter). Having said that, I have a great affection for the United States as well, a country that has given me so much.

How often do you visit Nigeria?
I visit Nigeria often, low key, without fanfare…

Do you speak Igbo?
I speak Igbo fluently. I also speak Pidgin English quite well... (smile): "I be propa Naija
man"

Are you married?
Yes, I am very blessed to be married to Maureen (Mimi) Achebe

What does she do?
‘Mimi’ is a medical doctor in the Harvard University medical system. She is much, much, much smarter than I…

Is she Nigerian?
Yes…she is of Nigerian heritage…she was born in the USA and was brought up here and in Port Harcourt…

How do you combine the demands of work, home, school and running the famous Chinua Achebe Foundation?
Well, in the first place, I don’t "run" the foundation. People who say they "run" things such as corporations, institutions and foundations - are not being completely forthright. Excellent work is almost always a team or collaborative effort. Effective leadership requires a clear understanding of that fact. In the case of the Chinua Achebe Foundation, I am one of the executives as are my other siblings Dr. Nwando Achebe and Dr. Chinelo Ejueyitchie. My older brother Dr. Ike Achebe is at the helm of the Foundation as C.E.O., and my father is the Chairman of the Board. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. I am the "project champion" for the current Interview project and the Colloquium we have launched.

There is a distinguished committee of intellectuals that guide projects and provide advice. The board of Trustees has business leaders, politicians, international scholars and writers. So, the Foundation’s work is extremely convoluted and expansive and requires several talented people to make it a success. Like hard working people everywhere, I try to joggle multiple tasks and pray to GOD to help make each and every effort a success.

Kindly tell us the central focus of the activities of the Foundation.
The Chinua Achebe foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing international understanding about Africa’s vibrant intellectual and cultural heritage.

To what extent is your father interested in the Foundation?
Professor Chinua Achebe founded the Foundation and is the Chairman of the board. He pays particular attention to projects and initiatives that are being launched or executed in his name. So, he is very closely involved.

In a speech you presented to Ndigbo in Boston some years ago, you argued that only 'true meritocracy holds promise for Nigeria'. Do you in all honesty think that Nigeria can enthrone meritocracy in its processes?
Nigeria has no choice but to move in that direction, unless of course we want to wallow in abject poverty and continue to be at the mercy of individuals variously described by leading ‘thinkers’ as "incompetent." We have been plagued by decades of political ineptitude, corruption and mediocrity because we have not taken careful and calculated steps to entrench meritocracy.

Meritocracy holds great promise for the ordinary citizen and for the nation. It is only under this arrangement that individuals of simple means but with the brightest minds can rise to leadership. Let us not forget that William Jefferson Clinton was from a working class background in Hope, Arkansas, and rose to lead the most powerful country in the world.

This could only happen within a structure that actively seeks and celebrates intellectual achievement and merit. In such a system, individuals of privilege can also rise to leadership if and only if they possess the appropriate skills. Some of the most successful of world statesmen – JFK, RFK, FDR, Nehru and his descendants Ndira and Rajiv Ghandi are examples.

A true meritocracy transcends ethnicity, class, creed and gender. It is the only system that will ensure that the best and brightest run the affairs of the nation – a development that will benefit the majority of the population. We must put in place a system that constantly seeks excellence, a process that matches the appropriate position with the most qualified applicant; and finally a culture that asks questions such as "Is this person the best person for the job?"

Meritocracy will also produce a true leadership cadre – based on the tenets of hard work, discipline and excellence. Those that have run the affairs of our nation, historically, have often not been part of a true merit based elite. What we have had instead, are individuals and their corrupt cohorts that "shot themselves into power;" "looted and stole themselves into prominence;" or "rigged themselves into office." With such mediocrity, how can we expect that anything will be run correctly? We have become a laughing stock among the family of nations. The ancient Israelites found themselves in a similar situation as Nigeria finds itself in today and recorded this profound observation: "It is ill with a people when vicious men are advanced and men of worth are kept under hatches." We can learn a great deal from that wisdom.

In the same speech, you gave a fitting allegory to the encumbrances of Nigerian diversity to progress when you told a story about your experience with your friends at a Nigerian restaurant where you could not agree on a particular recipe on account of your diverse ethnic backgrounds. I am aware that America's diversity is the core of America's strength. Can Nigeria hope to turn this disquieting diversity to strength some day?
I have always held that ethnic bigotry is one of the most primitive forms of prejudice. Nigeria’s diversity is one of her greatest strengths. We must, as a matter of national urgency, co-operate and build a strong, solid nation – a showpiece for the world and one that all Black people can be proud of. I believe that Nigeria needs to openly discuss ethnic and religious prejudices and come away with a strategy that "keeps the Genie in the bottle." We haven’t even honestly discussed the civil war, its genesis and aftermath. We need to be more honest, in order to solve this complex problem.

You also counseled that one of the best ways to ensure that the drop in male enrollment in schools in Anambra State would be to set up business schools in Onitsha and other places. As a concerned, privileged citizen, have you thought of taking this bright idea beyond mere rhetoric?
Most of the young men, who drop out of school in that part of the country, end up in the markets as "traders." For our society to develop, we must transform these talented young men into "educated world class business leaders." Investing in their future by sending them to Business school will be beneficial to all stakeholders. I am interested in being part of a concrete solution. I will keep you posted.

Does it seem as though your father has any successor yet in the tradition he began in Nigerian literature?
First, a historical and literary clarification: Dad (Professor Achebe) will be the first to point out that he did not "begin" the tradition of Nigerian literature. By God’s Grace, the reading public made him its most famous and widely read flag bearer. Nelson Mandela put it best at Achebe’s 70th birthday celebrations when he said of Achebe: "There was a man called Chinua Achebe in whose company, the prison walls fell down…." And of Achebe’s work he said: "he brought Africa to the world." Therein lays the reasons why Achebe is often referred to as the "Father of the African novel". That title has more to do with his role as a "literary diplomat" – successfully introducing African Literature to the outside world - than it does with a chronological order of book publication.

Let us not forget that we have the Igbo and Yoruba oral tradition, Sundiata epics, Cyprian Ekwensi, Amos Tutuola and others who wrote wonderful work before "Things Fall Apart." The unprecedented and explosive success of "TFA and the other titles in Achebe’s "African trilogy- No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God" explains the description. The late Alan Hill, Publisher at Heinemann, once said that it is extremely rare for an author to witness a work published during his lifetime become part of the world wide canon and pointed out that the kind of success attained by "TFA" – 15 million copies in 60 languages - is seen once every fifty years or so. There are only two years to prove him wrong….
Now to the question… There are many excellent younger writers. Ben Okri is quite talented. Others are Niyi Osundare, Tanure Ojaide, Helon Habila, Chimamanda Adichie, Sefi Atta, Oyeyemi, Chris Ubani, Okey Ndibe and the young Iweala etc. So, the Literature scene in Nigeria is vibrant. ANA – The Association of Nigerian Authors – with the like of Nduka Otiono, has also played an important role in keeping the literary scene healthy.

If you hadn't been a medic, what else attracted your interest?
I am not sure. I am quite happy with the scope and challenges of what I am doing. With Medicine, I have found my calling. "Every day I feel privileged to take care of patients. I feel ours is God’s work – sorry lawyers. (smile). I will tell you this much though, that the creator of the Peanuts © Cartoon Strip with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Peppermint Pattie etc – the late Charles M Schultz – had a great life. He raked in $20 million a year from royalties and did all his drawings from his home! (Laugh)

What was growing up like with a father whose image is beyond words? Any memorable childhood experiences that reminded you of your great heritage?
I am grateful to my parents for raising us in the manner in which they did. We were not brought up like the typical "big man’s children." My mother, a Professor of Education and Psychology made a concerted effort to raise us as "normal and balanced as one with GOD’s help can possibly be under the unique circumstances."

Growing up, we did not have "house help." There were always people living with the family, but it was made clear to us that they were our distant relatives and were there to go to school. Any chores that they did were for my parents and not for the children. So my siblings and I had a roster that my mother created. It had chores – I had to cook breakfast, iron, clean the bathroom, mow the lawn twice a month and take out the trash. My oldest sister Chinelo received $1 dollar allowance, Ike 75 cents, I got 50 cents and Nwando got 25 cents at the end of each week. My siblings and I are grateful to our parents for that disciplined, stripped down upbringing… and that is why we have the time tested values of "the masses" and don’t share the values of the so called "elite…"

I will honestly tell you that I was not fully aware that Dad was this "immensely famous person" until middle school – eleven or twelve. Clearly, there were reminders that made you curious – the "ultra famous guests that visited the house for one…and the trips to the homes of the so called beautiful people - fabulous personalities from around the world.

Also everyone seemed to have read Dad’s work or at least were aware of them, and people one had never met before treated one with respect. One wondered why there were always journalists from far flung places like Korea and Switzerland camped out in our living room waiting for Dad to wake up from his siesta to speak to him…Or why certain individuals grumbled in frustration saying things like: "you people don’t understand what status is about" …or even better… "Why you dey deshine us now?" (Raucous laughter). .. Our parents blessed us with the tools to negotiate the world effectively…to fit into any environment…with the masses or the elite on the world stage…to be comfortable in our skin without the need to put on airs or be phony…they taught us what was important…to be able to tell the difference between substance and fluff… and James, I can’t thank GOD and Mom and Dad enough for that gift….So, it was a magical childhood…very magical…very magical indeed…

How much of what you have become today came from real self-sacrifice and not on account of being Chinua Achebe's son?
James, some Nigerians believe that the rest of the world functions in the same corrupt manner that we have become accustomed to back home…and that is not the case. I function and live in a society – the United States – where none of the aforementioned attributes you alluded to matter to your employer. They (the attributes) constitute what the Americans call "bells and whistles." Without the ‘train and the engine,’ the ‘bells and whistles’ will not take you anywhere. So, you first and foremost must be qualified and competent and have a good work ethic to succeed values that were once celebrated in Nigeria. Once you have the substance, the frills may then nudge you a notch or two higher…

Would I be fair if I said you were still living in your father's shadow?
I am my father’s son and do not have the "celebrity child complex" – privileged children who lament that they have it bad because they were born into a prominent background. So, if you are expecting me to lament, don’t hold your breath. I think whatever shadow I may or may not be in is a glorious shadow, one blessed by GOD, and I am honored to be associated with it.

Is there a side to your father that you don't think his hordes of admirers know that you would like to share with us?
Dad cooks very well. He whips up a fantastic shrimp cocktail and his ‘trifle’ is quite famous… His "Ofe Onugbu" or bitter leaf soup is "to die for." He also has a great sense of humour…

Looking at you, it is easy to assume that you hardly need to break a sweat to get whatever you want out of life, being an Achebe. Is this valid?
I will answer this question this way: I was not brought up to believe that the world owed me anything… but that I should strive in whatever way I can to make the world a better place. Privilege comes with great responsibility and I pray everyday for GOD to help me tap into the essence of my creation and fulfill my destiny.