Things Fall Apart Festival 2025: ATPN inducts Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This year’s Things Fall Apart Festival 2025 ended on a celebratory note, with Nigeria’s global recognised literary icon and multiple awards winner, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN).

According to the leading tourism association, her induction was in recognition of her remarkable contributions to promoting Nigeria’s cultural identity through literature, noting that her works, which have earned worldwide acclaim, continue to project Nigeria, particularly Igbo culture on the global stage.

Things Fall Apart Festival (TFA) 2025, was held in Enugu, Enugu State and organised by the Centre for Memories – Ncheta Ndigbo, with endorsement from the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and ATPN, in partnership with iTour Africa.

The festival is a celebration of the legacy of Chinua Achebe’s timeless novel, Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart Festival 2025 served not only as a celebration of Achebe’s literary genius but also as a rallying point for cultural rebirth and communal introspection. It was a fitting occasion to honour Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a torchbearer of African storytelling and cultural preservation.

Adichie, who chaired the festival, delivered a stirring address that emphasised the urgent need for unity and cultural pride among the Igbo people. Also present at the event were several dignitaries, including; Sir Ike Chioke, Managing Director of Afrinvest; Sir Emeka Mba, former DG of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and Founder of Afia TV; and celebrated Nollywood actor, Chief Nkem Owoh (Osuofia).

Speaking at the festival, ATPN National President Prince Adetunji Femi Fadina, who was represented the Association’s Deputy President II, Wilson Uche Ugwu, stressed the vital role of cultural identity in tourism development.

He urged Nigerians, especially the people of Igbo extraction, to take pride in their heritage and support initiatives that preserve and promote indigenous culture. Fadina also reaffirmed ATPN’s commitment to professionalism among tourism practitioners and the need to avoid distorting Nigeria’s rich history and traditions.

While in her keynote speech, Adichie made a powerful call for internal reflection and unity within the Igbo community:

“Ndigbo k’anyi tetalu n’ura. Let us wake up. Ife emebigo n’ala Igbo. Things have fallen apart in Igbo land.

“We often speak of political marginalisation, and indeed any honest assessment of post-war Nigerian history acknowledges that. But before we can truly challenge external forces, we must first ‘clean house.’ We are giving those who want to marginalise us even more reasons to justify their actions.”

Also, she stressed that unity does not mean uniformity but a conscious choice to collaborate for a greater goal despite differences. Saying, “If all governors and senators from the Igbo-speaking states come together and set aside party affiliations, it would bestow a significant bargaining power to influence policies beneficial to the region.”

Adichie also delved into the erosion of Igbo language and identity, lamenting the decline of Igbo literature and the increasing pride in raising children who do not speak their native tongue.

 

“Languages are beautiful, and the more languages a child can speak, the better. But what’s happening in Igbo land is not about the ability to learn languages—it is about the lack of value for what is ours. Even our naming culture is eroding. We now give names not for their meaning, but for how ‘Western’ they sound,” she said.

The celebrated author drew parallels with the Germanic tribes, who despite having multiple dialects, united to form a modern German state. In contrast, she warned that internal divisions within Igbo society, often rooted in political rather than cultural identities, are weakening the community.

According to her, “Igbo is Igbo. Nobody is more Igbo than another. The distinctions we make today; ‘Anambra Igbo,’ ‘Delta Igbo’; are political, not cultural. Our strength lies in our unity.”