Achebe cannot be buried outside his community: Governor

The home state of Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, the "father of modern African literature" who died this week in the United States, wants him to be buried in his native community, an official said on Saturday.

The family of Achebe, who had an uneasy relationship with his home country, has not announced their burial plans following the 82-year-old's death on Thursday.

"He is a renowned promoter of the African culture. He cannot but be buried in his native home community," said Mike Udah, spokesperson for the governor of Anambra, Achebe's southeastern home state.

"The idea of him being buried outside his community is totally ruled out."

The state governor, Peter Obi, is due to travel to the United States this weekend to discuss Achebe's burial plans with his family, he added.

Best known internationally for his novel Things Fall Apart, which depicts the clash between British rule and traditional Igbo culture in his native southeastern Nigeria, Achebe was also a staunch critic of corruption in the country.