Bishop Tutu leads committee for Achebe’s burial

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

BY UDUMA KALU

LAGOS — Nobel laureate, Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, is to head one of the committees set up for burial of late eminent novelist, Prof. Chinua Achebe.

Other members of the committee, known as the international committee, are Nadine Gordimer (South Africa); Toni Morrison (USA); Ruth Simmons, 18th President of Brown University and first black president of an Ivy League institution (USA) and Dr. Johnetta Cole, first African-American female president of Spelman College and currently Director of Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art.

Disclosing this in a statement issued, Monday, two sons of the deceased literary icon, Ike and Chidi, listed the two other committees to include Central National Committee, which would be made up of eminent Nigerians from across the country, and the committee to make basic preparations for South East, in Enugu, Awka and Ogidi, home-town of the deceased.

The committee is also to oversee activities in Delta and Rivers states respectively.

“There have been several questions on the nature of preparations for Professor Chinua Achebe’s funeral, memorial service and Celebration of Life events,” the statement read.

It added that the burial will be at Ogidi, Anambra State, on May 23, while the funeral will be “Christian and not traditional rites” as has been reported.

”Memorial service and Celebration of Life event will be on June 2, 2013 in Washington DC,” the statement said.

-Vanguardwp_posts