Chinua Achebe"Imaginative literature... does not enslave; it frees the mind of man. Its truth is not like the canons of orthodoxy or the irrationality of prejudice and superstition. It begins as an adventure of self-discovery and ends with human wisdom and conscience." "The Truth of Fiction" in Hopes and Obstacles: Selected Essays 1988 In the mid-20th century Africa was once again beginning to find its voice, having been muzzled by centuries of colonial oppression. All that time the story of Africa had been told by Europeans, and the narrative they presented was poor. The boogeyman; if in fact a brother was certainly at most a younger brother. Therefore, when Africa finally opened its mouth to speak, the rest of the world expected little more than primitive imitation. Instead they were met with the devastating eloquence of Chinua Achebe. Known as the father of modern African literature, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe is the most read African author with books translated into 50 languages. His writing style, although novel to English literature, is well rooted in the oral tradition of the Igbo people. And although his stories are set in the turmoil of colonial and postcolonial Africa, they remain deeply character-driven stories. Character stories, usually tragic, but of vital universal importance. Throughout his life, Chinua spoke out against the corruption and moral failures of colonial and postcolonial governments. In his essays and scholarly work he worked to erase the worst of the colonial legacy and rehabilitate Africa's cultural identities and heritage. Chinua Achebe presents just one of an ever-growing stream of rebuttals against that hopelessly naïve moniker: the Dark Counts… at the center of the card… centuries of both its resources and its people; a continent divided by borders that accommodated foreign powers, leaving only volatile power vacuums. Those who somehow managed to get an education were taught that their heritage and themselves were inferior. Despite all that Africa has had to endure, hope remains. Some form of stability is taking hold in a growing number of regions, including Nigeria, with Lagos becoming an economic powerhouse in West Africa. Across the continent, more and more economic development projects are being financed by African banks. Chinua Achebe's life work has been to create a balance between stories. Achebe went to school to read only books by authors such as Shakespeare and Dickens. Today, millions of children go to school to read Chinua Achebe's books. Today Africans tell their story.Chinua Achebe 1930-2013