Catherine Obianuju Acholonu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine Obianuju Acholonu
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| Born | 26 October 1951 |
| Died | 18 March 2014 (aged 62) |
| Alma mater | University of Düsseldorf |
Catherine Obianuju Acholonu (born October 26, 1951 – died March 18, 2014) was a talented Nigerian author, researcher, and political activist. She worked as a Senior Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Arts and Culture. She also helped start the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).
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Early Life and Education
Catherine Acholonu was born in a well-known Catholic Igbo family. This was in Umuokwara Village, in the town of Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria. She was the oldest of four children.
She finished her primary and secondary school at The Holy Rosary School. At 17, she married Brendan Douglas Acholonu, a surgeon living in Germany. In 1974, Catherine started studying at the University of Düsseldorf. She studied English, American literature, and Germanic languages. She earned her master's degree in 1977. In 1982, she got her PhD in Igbo Studies. This made her the first African woman to earn both a Master's and a PhD from that university.
Career Highlights
Teaching and Writing
Since 1978, Catherine Acholonu taught in the English Department at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education in Owerri. She wrote more than 16 books during her career.
In 1982, she started AFA: A journal of Creative Writing. This was the first magazine focused on African literature. In 1986, she was chosen to attend an important United Nations meeting. This meeting discussed women, population, and how to develop countries in a way that protects the environment.
In 1990, she became a Fulbright Scholar. This is a special award from the US government. She was chosen because she found links between the Igbo roots of Olaudah Equiano. He was a famous writer and abolitionist who fought against slavery. As a Fulbright Scholar, she visited and taught at several colleges. Her work helped start the African American Studies program at Manhattanville College.
She also helped create the Catherine Acholonu Research Center. This center studies the ancient history of Africa. It was the first research center named after a Nigerian woman.
In Politics
In 1992, Catherine Acholonu ran for the position of Nigerian president. She was a candidate for the National Republican Convention party. Her husband was the deputy-governor of Imo State at that time, also from the same party.
From 1999, she worked as a Senior Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo. Her role was to advise on Arts and Culture. She left this job in 2002 to run for a senatorial seat in Imo State. She was a candidate for the National Democratic Party. However, she did not win the election.
Her Ideas and Beliefs
Catherine Acholonu believed in something called "environmental humanism." This means she cared about both people and the environment. She had different ideas from some other feminists. She believed that "motherhood, nature and nurture" were very important in African culture. She promoted a concept called motherism. This idea encourages cooperation between men and women, rather than conflict. She thought that in Africa, a person's economic status, not their gender, often decided their power.
Acholonu also believed that the introduction of Islam into Africa changed traditional African ways of life. She felt it sometimes made life harder for native women.
Death
Catherine Acholonu passed away on March 18, 2014. She was 62 years old. She had been ill with renal failure (kidney failure) for about a year.
Honours and Recognition
In 1997, the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) listed her among Nigeria's greatest women achievers. Her books and writings are used as reading materials in schools and universities in Nigeria. They are also studied in African Studies Departments at universities in America and Europe.
