Chimamanda Adichie to headline inaugural Things Fall Apart Festival in Enugu June 29
By Editor
RENOWNED Nigerian novelist and feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will headline the inaugural Things Fall Apart Festival in Enugu, Nigeria, from June 29 to July 5, 2025, to honour the legacy of the literary giant Chinua Achebe. The week-long event, organized by the Enugu-based Centre for Memories – Ncheta Ndigbo, expands the annual Things Fall Apart Day, now in its fifth year, into a full-scale festival celebrating Achebe’s towering influence in world literature.
Adichie, fresh from a global tour to promote her highly anticipated novel Dream Count after a decade-long hiatus, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the festival’s theme ‘Masculine, Feminine, Human – The Dialogue of Complements in Things Fall Apart.’ Her speech will explore ‘the Achebean inheritance,’ reflecting on storytelling, cultural rootedness, and the interplay of history and identity while examining the harmony and tension of gender ideals in Achebe’s seminal work and their relevance to contemporary discourse on identity, humanity, and cultural balance.
The festival, scheduled to hold at the Centre for Memories at 2 Awgu Street, off Umuoji Street, Independence Layout, Enugu, promises a vibrant cultural immersion through art, performance, technology, and scholarship. Attendees will experience a reimagined Umuofia Village, the fictional setting of Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, alongside dramatic performances, staged readings, and saloon conversations with cultural thought leaders. Immersive tech installations, an art exhibition, film screenings, and guided memory walks will further enrich the programme.
An essay competition open to senior secondary and tertiary students, as well as the general public, will encourage intellectual engagement with Achebe’s themes. A highlight of the festival will be a special appearance by actors from the 1987 television adaptation of Things Fall Apart, including Nollywood icon Pete Edochie, who portrayed Okonkwo. The iconic Ajofia masquerade, a significant symbol in the novel, will also make a grand appearance in the reimagined Umuofia village.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Centre for Memories – Ncheta Ndigbo, established in 2017, is driven by Achebe’s belief that “if a people stop telling themselves who they are, they would disappear.” The institution serves as a leading repository of Igbo history, heritage, and identity, dedicated to preserving and promoting Igbo culture, traditions, and historical excellence. Since its inception, the centre has hosted over 14 world-class exhibitions, attracting thousands of local and international visitors.
In collaboration with Alto Historical Media, the centre has produced four critically acclaimed documentaries: Allelu? Alleluia! The Legend of Mazi Ukonu, MI Power: The Legend and Legacy of Michael Iheonukara Okpara, January 15, 1970: Untold Memories of the Nigeria-Biafra War, which was nominated for the Africa Movie Academy Awards and won The Spotlight Award for Best Documentary in 2020, and Never Say Die: The Story and History of Rangers International Football Club. Through partnerships with artists, cultural custodians, creatives, and educators, the Centre engages communities, schools, and organizations, advancing Igbo cultural education and pride globally.
The centre has therefore extended invitation to schools, creatives, literary societies, corporate organizations, businesses, traditional institutions, and the general public to join in celebrating one of Africa’s most iconic novels through this dynamic festival. For sponsorship, partnerships, or participation, contact kedu@centreformemories.org. Additional information is available at www.centreformemories.org or by following @centreformemories on Instagram, Facebook and X.
