Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Celebrated Cameroonian Journalist Pius Njawe dead in the USA!!

pius njawe was one of the heroes of cameroonian
resistance and freedom of the press. he is
eulogized in teno's Chef! as a courageous figure
of resistance to biya's authoritarian state; he
is celebrated in mbembe's On the Postcolony. He
withstood prison and threats against his person,
and gave us hope for change in cameroon. indeed a great loss
that it was a truck accident that caused his death strikes me as doubly ironic.
there is a main highway from douala to yaounde,
which didn't exist as a paved road in the old
days. now at night truckers that cart timber from
the forests down to douala are allowed to roll (i
was a guest of the state dept a few years ago,
and the ambassador forbade official vehicles to
drive on that road at night since the trucking
traffic made it so dangerous). the forests are
emptied at night as the truckers roll fearlessly
down that highway; and you can see the wrecks of
cars on the sides of the roads, often.
i can hear soyinka's words in The Road again,
talking poetically, metaphorically, about those
great, powerful logs of timber rolling down the
highway, and the power they encompassed. now the
trucker has chased down our hero, njawe.
i join elias in wishing his family, his loved
ones, and his country our condolences
ken harrow

At 05:09 PM 7/13/2010, you wrote:
>This is tragic news for his family, Cameroon and
>all champions of freedom. For Mr. Njawe, human
>freedom was clearly intertwined with a free
>press and open dialogue. His untimely passing
>creates a void that cannot be filled.
>
>Our condolences to his family and loved ones
>
>Elias Bongmba
>
>Joyce Ashuntantang wrote:
>>Reports are just coming in of the death of the celebrated Cameroonian
>>journalist, human Rights activist and publisher of Le Messager, Pius Njawe,
>>as a result of the accident reported below. Read Pius Njawe in his own words
>>on www.dibussi.com. Stay tuned. This is a developing story...
>>
>>
>>
>>By Kristin Davis
>>Lauren Roth
>>The Virginian-Pilot
>>Š July 12, 2010
>>
>>
>>CHESAPEAKE
>>One person was killed and two were injured, one critically, when a
>>tractor-trailer rear-ended a disabled Lexus on I-664 South near the Bowers
>>Hill interchange just before 3 p.m. today.
>>State police had to shut down the interstate at Military Highway and divert
>>traffic onto exit 13A, according to the Virginia Department of
>>Transportation. Drivers had to make a U-turn onto Highway 58 East in order
>>to access I-664.
>>The accident was reported at 2:55 p.m., said Capt. Mike Thibeault,
>>Chesapeake Fire Department spokesman. The first rescue crews arrived at 3:03
>>p.m.
>>The four-door, cream-colored 1994 Lexus sedan had become disabled in the
>>left-center lane of the four-lane highway, said Sgt. R.W. Walker with the
>>Virginia State Police. The car was stopped just over the crest of a hill
>>before the exits for I-264 East and I-64 West, he said.
>>The tractor-trailer, a 2000 Mack truck owned by J.W. Canaday Trucking Inc.
>>of Providence Forge, struck the rear end of the Lexus and pushed it several
>>hundred feet, Walker said. The front-seat passenger in the Lexus was
>>declared dead at the scene.
>>State police have identified the victim, but because he is not a U.S.
>>citizen, it may take extra time to notify next of kin, Walker said.
>>The driver of the Lexus, which was registered in Washington, D.C., was taken
>>to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with critical injuries. The driver of
>>the truck also was taken to Norfolk General with injuries not considered
>>life-threatening, Walker said.
>>The investigation is ongoing. I-664 was reopened about 6:37 p.m.
>>
>>--
>>www.Joyceash.com
>>
>>
>
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Kenneth W. Harrow
Distinguished Professor of English
Michigan State University
harrow@msu.edu
517 803-8839
fax 517 353 3755

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