The Book Section, Port Harcourt Club 1928 and the Nigerian Literary Society (NLS) are set to host a grand event celebrating 68 years of Chinua Achebe’s iconic book, ‘Things Fall Apart’.
A release jointly signed by the Captain, Book Section, Port Harcourt Club 1928, Engr. (Sir) Henry Okolie and Dr. David Chukwueke, Founder/Curator, Nigerian Literary Society, said that the event is billed to start by 2:00PM on Saturday, July 4, 2026 at the Book Section, Port Harcourt Club 1928, 30, Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt, and admission to the venue is free.
According to the release, the theme of the event is: ‘Ekwefi and Ezinma: Celebrating the Enduring Power of Motherhood, Courage and Hope in Things Fall Apart @68’.
The release further informed that Professor Priye IYALLA-AMADI shall be the Chief Discussant at the program.
Priye Enemi Iyalla-Amadi is a Professor of French and Translation Studies in the Department of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Faculty of Humanities, at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt. She had her tertiary education at the University of Benin (B. A. French), the University of Port Harcourt (MPhil Translation) and the University of Ibadan where she obtained a doctorate degree in French and Translation Studies. She also obtained an advanced diploma in Translation Studies from the University of Paris III (La Sorbonne) in 1998. She has been Head of Department, Acting Dean of Faculty, and Director of ICT at various points in her Institution. Many of her research papers are indexed in Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu
Prof. Iyalla-Amadi was Rivers State Coordinator of the Rural Women Literacy Project in the Governor’s Office from 2003 to 2007. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Port Harcourt in 2013, a Sabbatical lecturer at the Federal University Otuoke in 2020 where she later served as Adjunct Professor. She has twice been featured as NTA Woman in Focus and has granted several radio and TV interviews.
She is a member of many academic and professional organizations such as the University French Teachers Association of Nigeria, the Linguistic Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the American Translators’ Association, the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs et Interprètes, among others. She has presented scholarly papers at the University of Brest in France, at the Conference of International Federation of Translators and Interpreters in San Francisco and recently at the University of Warsaw in Poland.
She is a Fellow of the Society for Research and Academic Excellence, a Fellow of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, and a member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. A one-time national champion of French orthography, a French government scholar and a recipient of several awards of academic excellence, Prof. Iyalla-Amadi, as part of her commitment to social activism and pursuit of gender justice, secured a legal victory for Nigerian women in 2009 when a Federal High Court ruled that the Nigerian Immigration Service should no longer require women to present consent letters from their spouses before they can be issued international passports.
A former Captain of the Book Section at the Port Harcourt Club 1928, and currently a Patron of the Section, she is at present Vice President of the Board of Alliance Française Port Harcourt. Her hobbies include mild sports, travelling, reading, and listening to opera music.
Organizers of the event have expressed confidence that her insightful perspectives on the theme shall further enrich the understanding of Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ which is by far the most globally celebrated novel by an African writer.
Those who may wish to contact the organizers for enquiries are advised to call 0806 213 3776 or 0803 296 9789.
