Prof. Segun Ogungbemi
Don Ohadike: Ten Years After
By Toyin Falola
Ezigbo Nnanyi Anyi Funanya
I will always miss my great friend.
Today marks the tenth year that we lost Professor Don Ohadike, an outstanding scholar who acquired a tremendous reputation in African history, one of the very best in the field of resistance to colonial rule in south-eastern Nigeria and the social history of the Igbo of West Africa. A man of grace, wit, and kindness, he cultivated the affection and friendship of a large number of people, from the Gambia to the Cameroon. Always smiling and unruffled, he took criticisms very lightly, and his large heart never remembered a past conflict. His book, The Ekumeku Movement, is an impressive analysis of resistance to colonial rule in south-eastern Nigeria, one that broadens the discourse on resistance in general through fresh data, original interpretations, and a conclusion that previous scholars have made an error by assuming that resistance was limited to large African groups. He laid the foundation of what we now call Anioma Studies, with hisAnioma: A Social History of the Western Igbo People --the very first to explore how a dynamic group was able to navigate change at a most dramatic period in their history. This book has created a vigorous Anioma identity, propelled further by the work of the late Dr. Kurinum Osia. The lot fell on me to bring into completion his final book, Sacred Drums of Liberation: Religions and Music of Resistance in Africa and the African Diaspora, a careful work that links culture with resistance.
In a note to me early this morning, his brilliant and committed daughter, Sandra Ohadike, wrote:
Today we think of you with love but that is nothing newToday we give thanks to the Lord for blessing us with a Dad like youToday we give thanks for your life and for the lives you've touchedToday we give thanks for the foundation you've set forth
We thank you for showing us what unconditional love feels likeWe thank you for your encouragement and for believing in usWe thank you for teaching us the importance of family/friendship and generosityWe thank you for showing us how to work hard and still enjoy life
Thank you Dad for a great childhood and wonderful memoriesYour legacy Lives on
Today we would not cry but we will have a glass (or two) of cognac in your honour; while listening to B.B. King and later watch reruns of the Jerry Springer Show. We will share stories, tell jokes and laugh out loud to honour the beautiful human being God blessed us with...
Your memory is our keepsake with which we will never partGod has you in His keeping we have you in our hearts.
We Thank GOD for you
Don is well and alive in our memories and libraries.
Toyin Falola
--
Toyin FalolaDepartment of HistoryThe University of Texas at Austin104 Inner Campus DriveAustin, TX 78712-0220USA512 475 7224512 475 7222 (fax)
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment