Awoonor is in a hotel lobby. He wants to ask the clerk a question. As he turns to go to the front desk, he accidentally bumps into an Ashanti woman beside him and as he does, his elbow goes into her breast. They are both star ... read full comment
Awoonor is in a hotel lobby. He wants to ask the clerk a question. As he turns to go to the front desk, he accidentally bumps into an Ashanti woman beside him and as he does, his elbow goes into her breast. They are both startled and he says, "Ma'am, if your heart is as soft as your breast, I know you'll forgive me." She replies, "if your penis is as hard as your elbow, I'm in Asante Kotoko room 1020."
Kawaanopaado 10 years ago
I have chatted with some eminent people recently and from what I heard, the late Prof was a polyglot who spoke many Ghanaian languages so fluently, including Ga, Fante, Twi, Ewe, perhaps among others. Is this the man who is p ... read full comment
I have chatted with some eminent people recently and from what I heard, the late Prof was a polyglot who spoke many Ghanaian languages so fluently, including Ga, Fante, Twi, Ewe, perhaps among others. Is this the man who is painted as an Ewe tribalist, ethno-centrist, chauvinist and all those unpalatable opprobious epithets? Ghanafuo must come out of their cocoons and warped mental parochialism to celebrate the life of a distinguished writer and statesman. What the man wrote was writ in fiction. His real life was another ball game. As a Fante, I cannot claim ethnic superiority over any tribe in Ghana because knowledge is not the exclusive preserve of any tribe or family. It is evenly distributed as on the normal curve of error or Gaussian curve. The y3see, y3see and ak33, ak33 will ruin Ghana if we do not rise over our pettiness. Rumours are the hallmark of the indolent, lazy and jealous wannabes. The man was Chairman of Council of State, what more evidence do you need of his pedigree and calibre? Ghanaians, mo ma y3ny3 biako yooo. Biako y3, y3 nhyira, biako y3 y3 ahooden, biako y3 y3ooooo, ooo ooooo. Those are the words of late musical maestro, Dr Ephraim Amu.
ROYAL AKAN 10 years ago
GOOD HE DIE THAT WAYS
GOOD HE DIE THAT WAYS
NEMESIS, UK 10 years ago
Kofi Awoonor: A Macabre Finale By Okey Ndibe
Columnist: Okey Ndibe
Posted: October 1, 2013
On the night of Saturday, September 21, 2013, I found myself talking admiringly about Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor, the Ghanaian poet, n ... read full comment
Kofi Awoonor: A Macabre Finale By Okey Ndibe
Columnist: Okey Ndibe
Posted: October 1, 2013
On the night of Saturday, September 21, 2013, I found myself talking admiringly about Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor, the Ghanaian poet, novelist, literary scholar, diplomat and teacher extraordinaire. The venue was Brooklyn, New York. My wife and I were there because, the next day, I was scheduled to speak at the Brooklyn Book Festival to promote my forthcoming novel, Foreign Gods, Inc. Sheri and I had spent part of the evening in Manhattan. We had looked in at three galleries, done a bit of shopping, and eaten at two restaurants, the last a Senegalese eatery on 29th Street, a pan-African space where Africans from different countries gather at all hours, make jolly, and speak a harvest of tongues.
It was close to 10 p.m. when we finally arrived at the Brooklyn apartment of our hosts, Sean Gallagher, a gifted painter who’s my wife’s academic colleague, and his wife Andrea Petersen, a journalist at the Wall Street Journal. Andrea had retired for the night, but Sean graciously offered us cheese and wine to wind down the day.
As we nibbled and drank, we talked about a variety of subjects. I don’t recall now what provoked it, but at some point I began to talk about Awoonor. I told Sean that, among the reasons I admired the man, was that he returned to Ghana after a distinguished career as a diplomat – and returned to the classroom to teach at the University of Ghana in Legon. Awoonor had served as his country’s ambassador to Cuba, Brazil, and the United Nations. “It’d be rare, if not impossible,” I told Sean, a keen follower of my column, to find a Nigerian who would consent to return to the classroom after holding down several high-profile diplomatic posts.
Unbeknownst to me, Awoonor had died earlier that Saturday. He’d been shot dead in Kenya by a gang of al Shabab terrorists who had stormed the high-scale Westgate Mall in Nairobi, shocking the world with their macabre, gleeful homicidal spree. The group killed with horrifying gusto, leaving – in the wake of their gruesome attacks – the corpses of children, women, and the elderly. Their one stricture was sectarian: a fringe Islamist group, they set out to spare Muslims.
Sunday morning, Sheri and I went to Mass at a church whose congregants were mostly Haitian immigrants. Once outside, Sheri was buying a bouquet of roses for our hosts when I switched my mobile phone back on. There was a lone text message. I read it , and let out a sharp cry, “No!” Startled, Sheri ran to me to find out what it was about. Unable to speak, I offered her the phone to read for herself. The words, from a friend, were terse, to the point: “Your friend Prof. Kofi Awoonor was killed in Kenya.”
The bearer of the message is a US-based Nigerian friend whose work takes him to Ghana from time to time. In the last three years, I always asked him to look in on Awoonor during his stay in Accra. He’d return and remark on the man’s stunning common touch and uncommon generosity.
Like many of my generation, I have had the rare luck of getting to know closely some of the writers and intellectuals whose works shaped my literary worldview. As a secondary school student enchanted by the works of African writers, I could never have imagined a scenario where I would physically meet – much less become close to – such giants as Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Wole Soyinka, Ama Ata Aidoo, Nuruddin Farah, and – among those who have now danced and joined the ancestors – Chinua Achebe, Mokwugo Okoye, Lewis Nkosi, Kofi Awoonor.
Of Awoonor I have imperishable memories. I first met him in person in 1990 when he was Ghana’s permanent representative and ambassador at the UN. By then, I was a big fan of his poetry. I had also read and reread his intriguing, strangely confected novel, This Earth, My Brother...I was enthralled by the novel, having encountered nothing quite like it in African literature. I was a bit surprised to find him ambivalent about the work. On October 21, 1990, he autographed a copy of the book for me. He wrote in the book, “With the best of fraternal wishes – though the book is ‘old’ & the vision is slightly blurred.” He took greater pride in his second (and much less known) novel, Comes the Voyager at Last: A Tale of Return to Africa. He gave me a signed copy of the book on January 29, 1992. He marked it, “For Okey, in anticipation of his first child, and in the firm belief that he will keep firmly on the road – in the cause of our people.”
On first meeting him, I was struck by his effervescent intellect, the ease with which he navigated between the cultural matrices of his Ewe people and the literary traditions of different parts of the world. He was very fond of his aged mother, often telling me how, in conversations with her, she would be solicitous of his well being, as if he were still a teenager. “She’d sometimes scold me for not eating well. Or for keeping late nights,” Awoonor once shared.
Awoonor’s gifts to me were not only intellectual. In 1993, Japan hosted an international conference on Africa’s economic development. Most of Africa’s 50-odd countries sent delegates, with such heads of state as Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Nicephore Soglo of Benin Republic, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda physically present. One day, Awoonor telephoned and asked if I wanted to go. I did, I responded, but the magazine I was editing at the time couldn’t afford the cost. “Let me see what I can do,” he said. What he did was persuade the Japanese ambassador to the UN, with whom he had forged a friendship, to arrange my visit. I traveled to Japan for two weeks as a guest of the Japanese government. I was able to cover the conference, and also to spend time in three cities – Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara.
Wherever I met Awoonor – in New York, St. Louis, Accra, Port Harcourt, or Lagos – he came with that ready, resonant laughter that was something of a signature, those eyes that sparkled with life and seemed to peer right into your hidden thoughts, that bracing intelligence, and that zest for life. Rooted in the specificity of Ewe cultural mores, he was broad and complex enough to be an incurable pan-Africanist, unapologetic in his admiration for Kwame Nkrumah. He was a polyglot and a true renaissance man, an avid learner of languages and student of cultures. His book, The Breast of the Earth, remains an attuned and insightful guide into African culture and literature. Out of his many travels and diplomats forays was spun a book titled The Latin American and Caribbean Notebook, a poetic tour de force filled with alluring observations, nostalgic memories, and sharp wit. He was versed in several languages, including Spanish and Portuguese as well as several Ghanaian languages. His English was urbane, his diction sophisticated, and he’d cultivated a mellifluent delivery that could keep any audience spellbound.
As he grew older – he was killed at 78 – he clung to a stubborn youthful joy, had a rich, resonant laugh, and a sense of humor that was altogether becoming and infectious. He was amazingly generous, a man who sought to nurture younger writers – and who exuded great energy whenever he had young aspirant writers as an audience. In 2009, he brought his gifts – his gregariousness, eloquence, and passion for literature – to Port Harcourt where he and Soyinka headlined the inaugural edition of the now estimable Garden City Literary Festival. Many budding writers who took his master class spoke excitedly about his style, the way he’d challenged them, and his depth of knowledge.
Each evening, I looked forward to unwinding with him and Soyinka in the capacious lounge of the hotel. I’d listen to their repartee, two friends and contemporaries who had gone to many cultural battles together, who’d shared the enchantments and adventures of narrating a continent. Awoonor and I flew to Lagos on the same flight. Ifeoma Fafunwa, my brother-in-law’s wife, treated us to a smorgasbord of delicious Nigerian meals and an excellent red wine. The next morning, a friend of mine took us to Terra Kulture for a delectable brunch.
“Okey, I will see you in Accra,” Awoonor said to me as he boarded a cab to Murtala Muhammed Airport for his trip back to Ghana. Alas, that visit will never take place. Still, it is Awoonor, not his murderers, who will have the last word. For the future belongs to humanists like Kofi Awoonor, not depraved men who kill and maim in the name of God. Awoonor’s vision and intelligence and creative fecundity will continually to light our paths, renew our world and reinforce our humanity. His voice will rise, defiant, beyond the machinations of desiccated minds who delude themselves that a point is made through callous mass murder.
Please follow me on twitter @ okeyndibe
CS 10 years ago
Quote: "What the man wrote was writ in fiction."
Phony-baloney!
The "un-afraid Prof." admitted what he wrote was as a result of a "reckless youthful exuberance caught in the revolutionary fervour of incendiary rhetoric" ... read full comment
Quote: "What the man wrote was writ in fiction."
Phony-baloney!
The "un-afraid Prof." admitted what he wrote was as a result of a "reckless youthful exuberance caught in the revolutionary fervour of incendiary rhetoric"!
Don't "chicken" the Mighty Warrior!
Joy 10 years ago
When I was a graduate student at Princeton, in my first year, I visited Bronx where my sister was living in the same apartment complex with Prof Kofi Awoonor. At the time, he was lecturing part time at Columbia and pursuing h ... read full comment
When I was a graduate student at Princeton, in my first year, I visited Bronx where my sister was living in the same apartment complex with Prof Kofi Awoonor. At the time, he was lecturing part time at Columbia and pursuing his final ph.d. dissertation.
What I remember about him is that he would often speak FANTI to my sister encouraging her to be closer to his (Kofi's) wife rather than the other gullible, gossipy Ghanaians in the same complex because he found my sister articulate and educated. I spoke often with him in Fanti and he was full of excitement whenever Ghana came up. Even at that time he did not look that old; I am surprised that he was 78. May he rest in peace - those who knew him up close really considered him classy and he fitted into many Ghanaian ethnic groups and backgrounds because he spoke so many Ghana languages.... it was always difficult to pin him as an Ewe. His English was nothing like an ewe accent!!! He reminded me that part of Awonoor-Williams larger family hails from Saltpond in the Central Region, just like the Renners.
Folks - Kofi was no tribalist. He might have been an Ewe nationalist. I found him more Ghanaian than most people; I can say for a fact that he was neither an ewe-phobic nor akan-phobic, if there are such things. He was simply a Ghanaian Nationalist
SAX TOMMEY 10 years ago
Prof was my Idol, a source
inspiration. A stateman and a maker of history.I cheriished him a lot.
Prof was my Idol, a source
inspiration. A stateman and a maker of history.I cheriished him a lot.
ghanaman 10 years ago
It is a truly great moment that a prolific writer dares to share his personal thoughts on an eminent writer and thinker. I knew the Prof during his days at UCC. Can say he was a worthy man. May he rest in peace.
It is a truly great moment that a prolific writer dares to share his personal thoughts on an eminent writer and thinker. I knew the Prof during his days at UCC. Can say he was a worthy man. May he rest in peace.
CHIEF ADVISER 10 years ago
WAS HE WORTHY OF KILLING OUR JUDGES?
SO HAS HE GONE TO JOIN THEM, HUREEE!!!
WAS HE WORTHY OF KILLING OUR JUDGES?
SO HAS HE GONE TO JOIN THEM, HUREEE!!!
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
Doc, thanks for being bold to write this in memory of Prof. Awoonor. I know the vile elements whose mindset he so much criticised without mincing words in his The Ghana Revolution and thereby incurring their vile ire, will co ... read full comment
Doc, thanks for being bold to write this in memory of Prof. Awoonor. I know the vile elements whose mindset he so much criticised without mincing words in his The Ghana Revolution and thereby incurring their vile ire, will come to spew their puke here again but they are simply exposing themselves as the real tribal bigots in Ghana.
Andy-K
... ... ... 10 years ago
Andy, your writings and responses are exposing you as a true and real ewe tribal bigot. Please use your head instead of your emotions. GHANA FIRST
Andy, your writings and responses are exposing you as a true and real ewe tribal bigot. Please use your head instead of your emotions. GHANA FIRST
Kwawu Agbemenu 10 years ago
"The sun has set in the morning." Will another rise . . . another? Only Time knows. Thank you, Sodzi.
"The sun has set in the morning." Will another rise . . . another? Only Time knows. Thank you, Sodzi.
KK 10 years ago
It is becoming clearer and clearer that Okoampa is very wrong on Awoonor.
First Okoampa has been trying to convince us that Awoonor's litererary talents are of the middling type. But it seems people who know the man bette ... read full comment
It is becoming clearer and clearer that Okoampa is very wrong on Awoonor.
First Okoampa has been trying to convince us that Awoonor's litererary talents are of the middling type. But it seems people who know the man better and whose own talents are greater than Okoampa's rate him much higher than Okoampa will want us to believe. I've read so many positive tributes to him by many of Africa's currently good writers that acknowledge his literary talents to convince me that Okoampa cannot be right. When we call the literary greats of Ghana, Awoonor will surely be on roll call. And he belongs there on the African list too...
Secondly, Okoampa has been telling us that the man was ethnocentric and hated Akans. But Okoampa has, so far, not succeeded in giving us the proof. No one has succeeded.
Even if we don't like the man's political views and don't like the fact that he associated with Rawlings whom we don't like, let us give the man his due and let us represent him truthfully and not tell lies about him. It is simply nasty!
Awoonor is in a hotel lobby. He wants to ask the clerk a question. As he turns to go to the front desk, he accidentally bumps into an Ashanti woman beside him and as he does, his elbow goes into her breast. They are both star ...
read full comment
I have chatted with some eminent people recently and from what I heard, the late Prof was a polyglot who spoke many Ghanaian languages so fluently, including Ga, Fante, Twi, Ewe, perhaps among others. Is this the man who is p ...
read full comment
GOOD HE DIE THAT WAYS
Kofi Awoonor: A Macabre Finale By Okey Ndibe
Columnist: Okey Ndibe
Posted: October 1, 2013
On the night of Saturday, September 21, 2013, I found myself talking admiringly about Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor, the Ghanaian poet, n ...
read full comment
Quote: "What the man wrote was writ in fiction."
Phony-baloney!
The "un-afraid Prof." admitted what he wrote was as a result of a "reckless youthful exuberance caught in the revolutionary fervour of incendiary rhetoric" ...
read full comment
When I was a graduate student at Princeton, in my first year, I visited Bronx where my sister was living in the same apartment complex with Prof Kofi Awoonor. At the time, he was lecturing part time at Columbia and pursuing h ...
read full comment
Prof was my Idol, a source
inspiration. A stateman and a maker of history.I cheriished him a lot.
It is a truly great moment that a prolific writer dares to share his personal thoughts on an eminent writer and thinker. I knew the Prof during his days at UCC. Can say he was a worthy man. May he rest in peace.
WAS HE WORTHY OF KILLING OUR JUDGES?
SO HAS HE GONE TO JOIN THEM, HUREEE!!!
Doc, thanks for being bold to write this in memory of Prof. Awoonor. I know the vile elements whose mindset he so much criticised without mincing words in his The Ghana Revolution and thereby incurring their vile ire, will co ...
read full comment
Andy, your writings and responses are exposing you as a true and real ewe tribal bigot. Please use your head instead of your emotions. GHANA FIRST
"The sun has set in the morning." Will another rise . . . another? Only Time knows. Thank you, Sodzi.
It is becoming clearer and clearer that Okoampa is very wrong on Awoonor.
First Okoampa has been trying to convince us that Awoonor's litererary talents are of the middling type. But it seems people who know the man bette ...
read full comment