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A STORY THAT MUST BE TOLD DOES NOT FORGIVE SILENCE – OKEY NDIBE (February 2021 CFM Book Club with Prof. Okey Ndibe)

According to Napoleon Bonaparte, “show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world”.

The Centre for Memories held a special edition of the virtual book club session on Saturday, February 6, 2021, and reviewed the book for the month, Foreign God’s Inc. The thrilling session featured the author of the book, Prof Okey Ndibe.

Founded in 2017, the Centre for Memories has a mission to build leaders who are grounded in history and are equipped to serve with excellence and integrity. The Centre runs a monthly book club which holds both physically and online. Through the monthly book club and adult/children’s library (Oba Akwukwo Umu Aka), the Centre seeks to build a generation of young Igbo people with reading culture. Every month, the Centre designates a book to be read, drawing from its library and its link with Igbo authors.

The book club was set up in 2018 and so far, over 33 books have been read some of which include;

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta

A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe

Men without ears by Ifeoma Okoye

On Black Sisters’ Street by Chika Unigwe

Jagua Nana by Cyprian Ekwensi

In the February 2021 edition of the CFM book club, we read Foreign Gods Inc. It was a very spectacular moment as we were joined by the author of the book for the month; the distinguished Prof. Okey Ndibe. Prof. Okey Ndibe worked in Nigeria as a journalist and magazine editor before going to the United States in 1988 at the invitation of famous Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. He holds both an MFA in writing and a PhD in literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Prof. Ndibe’s presence added a lot of spice to the book club session. Apart from the discussion of his Foreign Gods Inc., Prof. Ndibe let us in on his story of being a new immigrant to the United States of America, the circumstances surrounding the period, and how he eventually became a writer. According to him, there is the need to always tell these stories because a story that must be told does not forgive silence. While entertaining numerous questions from the attendees of the session, Prof. Okey Ndibe opened up our minds to many more perspectives within which readers could assimilate the themes contained in his book, Foreign Gods Inc.

In a bid to ensure more productive and fruitful book club sessions, the Centre for Memories is currently working on maintaining a culture of having authors join us for the book club sessions whenever their books are reviewed. Join us on Saturday, March 6, 2021, as we are joined by Prof Chika Unigwe to review her book, On Black Sisters Street.

Kindly note that the CFM book club is open to new members. To become a member of the CFM book club, kindly click on this link to make a one-time registration https://bit.ly/3iT9GJW. Registration is free.

We are grateful to all who participated in the last book club session as we look forward to holding the next session come March 6, 2021.

#CentreForMemories