May Olodumare conform his family, relations, friends and admirers. Aase.
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TFrom: AbdulRasheed Na'Allah <abdulrasheed.naallah@kwasu.edu.ng>
Date: Monday, September 5, 2016 at 9:41 AM
T
Subject: Re: Obituary: isidore Okpewho
--This is a personal loss to my family and I, and to so many of scholars of African literature and our families.
Okpewho was a mentor and role model to us who do research in African Oral Literature. He took everyone as a friend, and would go to any length to offer love and support. I interviewed him many years ago, and I am in the process of compiling all those interviews (including the ones with other scholars and writers) into a book.
Towards the end of his life, he offered very strong criticism of African oral traditions and took the stand of what can be described as progressive orature. He questioned why tradition would be invoked by those who stole public treasures and who took kick backs in disguise of traditional African gifts. At an ALA meeting in 2002, he challenged scholars to question aspects of oral traditions and not just be reporters of events. Ato Quayson, popular postcolonial theorist, in an interview I had with him on this, observed, "for someone like Isidore Okpewho, who is unparalleled in the area of his scholarship, to reach the point of saturation, the saturation point where he's calling for us to question oral traditions more rigorously than he has questioned it himself is very positive, because it's good that somebody with that kind of grasp and authority can make such a pronouncement." The truth was that Okpewho did not reach any saturation at all, I think by 2002 he decided to explore new excitement in taking responsibility to offer new insights into African orature. After all, he was equally endowed as a critic, novelist, essayist, and oral literature scholar, and some time in the same piece, he explores his many skills from all his scholarly talents.
Okpewho was one of the leading scholars I spoke to in 2009 on returning from USA to Nigeria to head a new public University as pioneer president (Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive) and we discussed the possibility for establishing a Centre for Oral Traditions in Africa at the Kwara State University. I gave him a verbal invitation to come to KWASU to assist in doing this, and despite his beginning to confront health issues even at that time, he was positive and discussed exactly what roles he might take when he comes. Alas, he never actually was able to come, but every day as we (scholars of African oral literature world wide) work towards a stronger, more progressive and unequaled standards of research in African oral literature, we invoke the great paradigms established by this great son of Nigeria and Africa. Adieu, Isidore Okpewho!
Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah
_
I bring sad news.
Professor Isidore Okpewho, our great friend, teacher, and mentor died yesterday. I just spoke with his wife, and funeral arrangements are being made for September. Orations to follow.
It was a privilege for me to interact with this great scholar, publishing his last major book in my University of Rochester's Series, Blood on the Tides: The Ozidi Saga and Oral Epic Narratology. He completed this book while sick. A masterpiece, I will talk about this great book after I recover from this shock.
A man of grace and elegance, it was always a delight to be with him. I visited him and his wife at their home in Binghamton, where we discussed his collected essays which I also promised to publish for him.
I will attend his funeral service and report back.Toyin Falola
Toyin FalolaDepartment of HistoryThe University of Texas at Austin104 Inner Campus DriveAustin, TX 78712-0220USA512 475 7224512 475 7222 (fax)
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