Chukwuemeka Ike
Chukwuemeka Ike was a prominent Nigerian novelist and educator, born on April 28, 1931, in Ndikelionwu, Anambra State, into the Igbo ethnic group. He pursued higher education at Government College Umuahia and later earned a bachelor’s degree from University College, Ibadan, and a master’s degree from Stanford University. Throughout his career, he was influential in both literature and university administration, including a significant role at the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO. Ike's literary debut, *Toads for Supper*, published in 1965, was followed by numerous other works that explored themes of unity and diversity, such as *Sunset at Dawn* and *Expo 77*. In addition to his novels, he authored nonfiction works addressing educational development in Africa. He was recognized for his contributions to literature and human rights, receiving the Fonlon-Nichols Award in 2008. In a notable cultural role, he succeeded to the Igbo throne in 2008, where he enacted changes to traditional practices. Chukwuemeka Ike passed away on January 9, 2020, leaving a lasting impact on Nigerian literature and culture.
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Subject Terms
Chukwuemeka Ike
- Born: April 28, 1931
- Birthplace: Ndikelionwu, Anambra, Nigeria
- Died: January 9, 2020
- Place of death: Nnewi, Nigeria
Biography
(Vincent) Chukwuemeka Ike was born into the Igbo people in Ndikelionwu, Anambra, Nigeria, on April 28, 1931. He studied at Government College Umuahia, alongside Chinua Achebe, who became known as a major postcolonial writer and whose work inspired Ike. Ike received his bachelor of arts degree in 1955 from University College, Ibadan, Nigeria, and his master of arts degree from Stanford University in 1966. He married Adebimpe Olurinsola Abimbolu, a Yoruba professor of library science, on December 13, 1959. They had one son, Osita, who died in 2016.
A leading Nigerian novelist, Ike also had a long career in university administration, and he served in various educational and cultural positions into the 1990s, including the Nigerian National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 1986 to 1991. He received a Ford Foundation grant in 1966 and was granted honorary degrees from both the University of Nigeria (1998) and the University of Lagos (2000).
Ike’s first novel, Toads for Supper, an interethnic romantic comedy with strongly realistic elements, was published in 1965. He produced a dozen novels and collections of stories after that, including Sunset at Dawn (1976), about the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War; Expo 77 (1980), about exam cheating; Bottled Leopard (1985); Conspiracy of Silence (2001); and The Accra Riviera (2001). He also published various nonfiction works, such as University Development in Africa: The Nigerian Experience (1976), drawing on his long educational experience, and How to Become a Successful Writer (1991). His literary works focused on themes of unity and diversity. Ike produced a steady stream of books over his career, and Bottled Leopard also became required reading for a generation of Nigerian secondary school students. His short stories and novels also found audiences beyond the borders of his country. In 2008 Ike was presented with the African Literature Association's Fonlon-Nichols Award for literature dealing with human rights and freedom of expression.
Following the death of his father, Ike acceded to the Igbo throne of Ndikelionwu in 2008. He was described as an egalitarian and democratic ruler. One notable change he instigated was in replacing annual animal sacrifices to a traditional African goddess with Christian worship, beginning in 2018.
Ike died on January 9, 2020, in a Nnewi, Nigeria, hospital. He was eighty-eight years old.
Bibliography
Babatunde, Aishat. “Foremost Nigerian Novelist, Chukwuemeka Ike, Is Dead.” Premium Times Nigeria, 11 Jan. 2020, www.premiumtimesng.com/news/372138-foremost-nigerian-novelist-chukwuemeka-ike-is-dead.html. Accessed 30 Oct. 2020.
“Chukwuemeka Ike: The Nigerian King Who Served Toads for Supper.” BBC News, 8 Feb. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51181301. Accessed 30 Oct. 2020.
Mojapelo, Lebohang. “Emerging from Chinua Achebe’s Shadow: Nigeria’s First Generation of Post-Independence Writers and the Literary Brotherhood of Umuahia.” The Johannesburg Review of Books, 2 July 2018, johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2018/07/02/emerging-from-chinua-achebes-shadow-nigerias-first-generation-of-post-independence-writers-and-the-literary-brotherhood-of-umuahia. Accessed 30 Oct. 2020.
Okolie, Mary J. N. "Chukwuemeka Ike: A Legacy of Unity in Diversity." The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2020, theconversation.com/chukwuemeka-ike-a-legacy-of-unity-in-diversity-132619. Accessed 30 Oct. 2020.
Ugbabe, Kanchana. Chukwuemeka Ike: Fifty Years as a Trailblazing Novelist. University Press PLC, 2015.