Interesting people from Africa

Uzodinma Iweala is an author from Washington, DC and Nigeria. The novel Beasts of No Nation is his debut work. It is about a child soldier in an unnamed African country. The book, published in 2005, has received enormous exposure.. The son of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Iweala attended St. Albans School in Washington D.C. and is a recent graduate of Harvard College. He is currently working at Columbia University. In 2007, he was named one as one of Granta magazine 's 20 best young American novelists

Nigerian born Wole Soyinka (born July 1934) is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He is the first African since Albert Camus to be honoured as the Nobel Literature Prize winner in 1986. In 1967 he was arrested by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowan, and confined for his attempt to instill peace between the warning parties. While in prison he wrote poetry which was published in a collection titled "Poems from Prison". He was released after 22 months after his imprisonment drew attention on an international scale.

Chinua Achebe was born in Ogidi, Nigeria on the 16th of November 1930. He is a novelist, poet and short story writer. His debut work was "Things fall apart" in 1958. The book was translated into 50 languages. He is one of the most recognised authors in the diaspora. He is primarily interested in African Politics and the effects of colonialization on African countries. Nelson Mandela was once quoted saying "Chinua Achebe is a writer in whose company prison walls fell down". In June 2007 he was honoured for his literature career as a winner of the Man Booker International Prize. Related links: www.thecore.nus.edu.sg/post/achebe www.kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm

Poet and novelist Ben Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road in 1991. Set in a Nigerian village, this was the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. The Man Booker Prize promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year. The prize is the world's most important and prestigious literary award. Nigerian born Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001.

Nigeria's Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 29, won Britain's Orange Prize for fiction by women, becoming the first African to take the award in its 12-year history. She is also the youngest author to have won the prize, was awarded for novel "Half of a Yellow Sun," set during the Nigeria-Biafra conflict of the 1960s.

Makhaya Ntini is the Right arm Fast-Medium Bowler for the South African Cricket team. This 30 year old man was the first black man to play cricket in South Africa in 1998, and also he also became the first South African Bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test match. He is currently ranked 2nd on the ICC World Bowlers' ranking (2007). He escalated in popularity and was voted most popular sportsperson in South Africa by the BMI 2005 Sportrack study. Ntini, a product of the United Cricket Board's development programme, was the leading wicket taker with 14 wickets in the NatWest One Day International series in England. To date he has played over 50 games and has won numerous awards. Source:http:// www.whoswhosa.co.za

George Weah is a former football player and an ex-presidential candidate in Liberia. He was named African Footballer of the year, European Footballer of the year and FIFA World Player of the year all in the year of 1995. He is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.

Roger Milla, the Cameroonian former football forward was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in 3 World Cups for the Cameroon national team. He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most footballers have retired, by scoring 4 goals at the 1990 World Cup and helping the Cameroon team reach the quarter finals. source: wikipedia

Nwankwo Kanu, born in 1976 in Owerri Nigeria is a professional footballer currently playing in the English Football League. He is said to be one of the most talented footballers ever to come out of the African continent. He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, with over 10 awards of which to boast.

Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31 1939 - March 6, 2006 ) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally recognised musicians of all time. His recording career began in France in 1976, but that phase of it ended poorly, as Toure was never properly compensated His music is mostly traditional Malian music and the blues. He was voted number 76 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."