A new essay focusing on the contribution of Chinua Achebe"s writing to Africa"s literary and political life, from the standpoint of the early twenty-first century, and the present state of Africa. The essay is interdisciplinary drawing on history, politics and economics, conflict theory and literary criticism. It is wide in scope, discussing a breadth of topics such as imbalances in trade relations between Africa and the rest; the inefficacy and hypocrisy of Western aid in light of debt and the arms supply from the West; genocide and HIV; and the implications of current US uni-polar dominance for Africa. In the context of his study Ekwe-Ekwe celebrates what he argues are the seminal dimensions of Achebe"s writings: which affirm an African historicity; point to the futility of an unreconstructed post-colonial state in leading Africa"s reconstruction; and advocate an African renaissance based on Africa"s critical engagement with its rich cultural heritage. The author is a...