USA Africa Dialogue Series - BRIGHT STAR--Re: Kwast Konadu's Big News--NEWS JUST IN--AND SCHOLAR-ACTIVISTS

Oloruntoyin, 

Wonderful. Wonderful. 

Another Bright Star recognised. 

With fine acknowledgements, 

And with the best of achievements yet to come. 

All best at lucky Colgate, dear Kwasi. 

As you can see, the Family FALOLA; we all are lifted with thanks and pride in you. 

I shall again be badgering the West Sussex library folk, 

For yet more rich Africa books. 

Indeed, despite continuing untrue/ boring/ negative/ usually offensive/ insulting 

condescending mainstream Meedja Messages—with little mention of the vast and

increasing contribution that Africa people have managed OCCASIONALLY to bring to their HOME locales, but MUCH MORE OFTEN to FOREIGN LANDS AND THEIR FOLK where they visit or reside—it is clear that a more accurate message finally is getting through that: 

"These Africans are not only leading figures at the top of many of our scholastic/ professional/ business/ and other institutions, but are good community folk who care and give a lot, and are amazing contributors. ...Just look at all these books we get. Very high quality stuff. WHY are we not hearing more about these very valuable, humane, incredibly industrious, imaginative folk?" 

Why indeed. ...But thanks to the tireless, amazingly inventive, exponentially-networking/ world-renowned leaders of heart and mind like Prof FALOLA; works like these of Prof Konadu are/ will be reaching ears and eyes they did not before--even those of the West Sussex Chief Librarian. ...Folk are becoming aware that there is much that is happening and has happened regarding Africa and Africans that they've never been told. And what they have been told, is very different from what they're learning now from descendants of/ or the concerned folk themselves. Folk want to know more. 

And Prof FALOLA is passionate that they will be given this opportunity. As he says:  

"I am addicted to celebrating African scholars. This has become a passion. I will write about them, and let the world know about their accomplishments. Kwasi is not just one of our very best, but among the best historians in the world. He is ten times better than me in intellectual sophistication, in language, in the grandiosity of his narratives. His ability at ground breaking imaginations is difficult to match. His forthcoming book with Duke University Press, Our Own Way in This Part of the World, is pathbreaking, innovative and magisterial."

Prof Konadu, a man whose talents and wonderful gifts are clearly going to lead him to ever greater and higher achievements, is but one of our "New Wave" whose narratives/ thoughts/ and projections will be carried to distant places/ and to  hugely increasing audiences of inquiring, largely younger folk. With each new reader, it could be said the Audience for Africa increases, not just by one, but through cyber-extension by each reader's own multi-networks, by exponential leaps. There is much Light, much Joy to be engaged. So much learning of Positive Thrust to be acquired. "Pathbreaking, innovative and magisterial" declares Prof FALOLA. Indeed, Prof Konadu contributes much as we explore more that is being revealed close to us in our home areas, but also in those regions that call to us from "Beyond the Boundaries." 

NEWS FLASH --- Oh my. News has just come in about today's Nigeria Presidential elections being cancelled and deferred to 23 Feb. Not even a full day's notice this time.

Indeed, just as Prof  FALOLA adds special rocket-fuel to those powerful, engaging, uplifting thoughts that project us forward, up to and Beyond the Boundaries, and on towards the Horizon Future; what happens? The dead-weight of modern/ in-house Nigeria Reality comes crashing down. Nigeria and its folk are thrown into the vortex of huge turmoil. Yet again. 

The two Rulers-Aspirant—they are NOT Leaders; and never have been—have, it seems, found it necessary to re-position themselves; presumably in order that this feral battle, over who is to be Crowned new "King of Primitive Accumulation" for yet another sentence for which Nigeria's alleged 199 million 98ers must serve yet another Four Years, is to be conducted. …That is, unless serious insurrection has been scented, and a common policy/ or action is being hurriedly slapped together to meet requirements/ demands, and snuff this intrusive threat? …Or maybe several Polling Stations are short of Ballot papers? Many possibilities. 

Wondrous news for the World's MaInstream Meedja, of course. BBC now has a large chunk that in essence, "PROVES"—no accusations, nor "we told you so" contentions required—what ALL Western Mainstream Meedja and their Godfathers have long stressed; and that is the underlying long-held/ though seldom publicly expressed contentions of total incompetence of Nigeria and Indeed ALL Africa countries, when it comes to dealing sensibly and effectively with their own affairs—particularly when it comes to "very sensitive" things, like elections. ...Quite amazing how the same Meedja suffers sudden amnesia when it comes to  the huge morass/ cess into which many/ most Western States are currently sunk. Serious greed/ incompetence/ savage indifference, however, are defining attributes saved, it seems, for Africa and Africans and their governments and politics. 

Little does the ordinary Brit, or most other outsiders, know--nor indeed will they learn from these Mainstream quarters--that there are 1000s of well-qualified, sensible, humane-rooted folk in Nigeria who wish to SHARE AND DEVELOP the country FOR AND WITH their peoples--not to continue to steal it from them, in broad daylight, and all validated by selected Election Observers from countries with their OWN agendas, with position in the OIL QUEUE often a vital conditioning consideration. 

The message?  All the more reason, for Profs Konadu and FALOLA and the rest of us, not only to hold and extend our range and depth of engagement, but to increase the pace. Despite this stupidity and feral and dangerous nonsense of today in Nigeria, the Frame and Object of FALOLA, and we, his Family, remain firmly in place. They are defined by Life Values operating through simple basic policy priorities/ Life Goods including—FOOD/ HOUSING/ EDUCATION/ EMPLOYMENT/ HEALTH & WELFARE/ DEVELOPMENT/ LAW AND ORDER—these providing the stable base from which we all can move forward. The character and passion and objects, animate the Blueprint. 

Tis of course the reality of Nigeria and Africa that the world will one day learn, and be greatly thankful for. 

But not just yet.

Rome was not built in a day. 

The same is true of post-Roman Brit. 

Tis true also of 

Post-Brit Nigeria

--And indeed, to varying degrees--

All other Post-Brit Africa, 

And other of its former territories 

In the so-called "Less-Developed" world. 

Those of us in the FALOLA Family will see now in Big Letters, 

If we didn't before, the vital role we have to play; 

And indeed how in this, that HISTORY,

it's events and narratives, 

Are at the core of it all. 

In the terms of our Great Late Friend, 

Prof Okon Uya, 

All is dependent on the Spearhead:   

The Scholar-Activists. 

Nothing new about this, of course, 

Tis the way it's always been 

For those folk whose grasp is firm 

On those Determining Realities that reside below, 

Indeed, often FAR below, 

The surface. 

There is work to do. 

In keeping with the 

Traditions of Great Agbo, tis 

"Time to get on with it." 

Baba m

Sent from my iPad

On 14 Feb 2019, at 15:26, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

Dear all:

It was this Monday, this week, at dinner with Fred Cooper, Mike Gomez, Anthonia Appiah, Bisola Falola, Abosede George and three others that I brought out the name of Kwasi Konadu, my pet talk, that he must move out of his school in New York. He told me how family reasons took him there. I once went to my school that I can vacate my History Endowment for him. But he later told me that moving to Texas will affect his family. I contacted Moses Ochonu and several others that we owe Kwasi a collective agenda that he should occupy a Chair. Many moves behind his back, and none worked out.

 

God’s time, they say, is the best.  He will be joining the faculty at Colgate University as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Endowed Chair in History and Africana Studies in the fall.

 

All predictions about our future are coming to pass. Bonny Ibawoh will bring us a big news as well. We brought him to Austin hoping that something will eventually work out.

 

I am addicted to celebrating African scholars. This has become a passion. I will write about them, and let the world knows about their accomplishments.

Kwasi is not just one of our very best, but among the best historians in the world. He is ten times better than me in intellectual sophistication, in language, in the grandiosity of his narratives. His ability at grand breaking imaginations is difficult to match. His forthcoming book with Duke University Press, Our Own Way in This Part of the World, is pathbreaking, innovative and magisterial.

  

If you have not read him, start with his The Akan Diaspora in the Americas, and you will enter the mind of a first-rate scholar.

 

I will say more.

 

Kwasi, this is closer to the beginning of your larger achievements—you are not even yet in the middle.

TF

 

Toyin Falola

Department of History

The University of Texas at Austin

104 Inner Campus Drive

Austin, TX 78712-0220

USA

512 475 7224

512 475 7222 (fax)

http://sites.utexas.edu/yoruba-studies-review/

http://www.toyinfalola.com 

http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa  

http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs 

http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue