Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first African-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Mazi Obi Okoli, based in London, is a contributor to USAfrica multimedia networks
I picked up Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, early last week (February 2025), to read that master class of a book for the 40th time! Each time I read it, I always discover new wisdom hidden from the citadel of the wise.
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is warned not to take part in the killing of Ikemefuna because the boy calls him father. Yet, driven by fear and the need to appear strong, he struck the fatal blow. It was a betrayal not just of Ikemefuna’s trust but of the very essence of fatherhood.
The tragedy of life is that history repeats itself when we fail to learn from it. Igboland our heritage, our future has been entrusted to us for safekeeping. The children look up to us as fathers and mothers, believing we will guide and protect them. But must we have a hand in what destroys their future?
Trust is sacred. Betrayal comes not only through direct harm but also through silence and inaction in the face of danger. If we do not safeguard the dreams of those who look up to us, we are no different from Okonkwo, whose misguided sense of duty led to irreversible loss.
But even in the face of broken trust, we must not surrender to despair. We must ask ourselves: How do we rebuild the wasted hopes of our children? How do we restore what has been lost? The future is not beyond saving if we act now with wisdom, courage, and a commitment to protect those who rely on us. As our ancestors cautioned, in our Igbo language: na mkpuru onye kuru ka oga ahoro.
Let us not be the hands that kill the future. Let us be the guardians who nurture it.
ACHEBE lives as an immortal writer in our hearts and minds. By Chido Nwangwu
