Celebrated Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, an articulate champion for Africans in the postcolonial era, has died at age 82.  Achebe delivered the commencement address at Bates on May 27, 1996.  A novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist, Achebe was one of the most important figures in contemporary African literature. His novels, chronicles of the colonization and independence of Nigeria, are among the first works in English to present an authentic rendering of African culture.
Ladd Library has many of his works in print, as well as access to several of his novels through African Writers Series (Online).