Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe was an author whose books and poems revolutionized African literature. Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930, and while he was earning an English degree there, he became frustrated with the way Western authors talked about Africa and its people. That frustration stayed with him as he worked in broadcasting, then in publishing. Finally, Achebe published his first and most famous novel, Things Fall Apart. He showed a different Africa, one
of thoughtfulness and dignity—one that suffered when colonizers disrespected its cultures. Even though he left Nigeria for a time to teach in America, he continued to write about his home. Along with these later writings, Things Fall Apart encouraged more African authors to tell their stories. That’s why Achebe is called the father of modern African literature.
Nelson Mandela
Rolihlahla Mandela (later given the name Nelson by a schoolteacher) was born into a royal South African family in 1918. When he was a young man, a political
party led by the Afrikaners (white descendants of Dutch settlers) won power and made a series of laws called apartheid. Apartheid segregated the nation, and all nonwhite people were treated unfairly. Mandela resisted apartheid and was eventually arrested and nearly executed but was given life in prison instead. After 27 years in jail, Mandela was freed and worked with the government to end apartheid. This earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, and in new, fair elections, the South African people elected Mandela as their first Black president. He is emembered as one of the world’s great champions for worldwide justice.
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Muta Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate and was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Born in rural Kenya in 1940, Maathai earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees in the United States before returning to Kenya to pursue her doctorate. Maathai became involved with the National Council of Women of Kenya and was introduced to the idea of planting trees to help the environment. During her life, Maathai planted over 20 million trees and is recognized around the world for her fight for human rights, conservation, and democracy. In 2009, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace, and a year later, founded the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace & Environmental Studies. Maathai served on the board of several organizations that promoted women and the environment, and she even served in Kenya’s parliament. After a long and successful life, Maathai passed away in 2011 at the age of 71.