Cyprian Ekwensi (September 26, 1921 - November 4, 2007), one of the old men of African fiction and one of the few, the transition from market-brochure-Onitsha-fiction writer with an international reputation for at least a little 'distance billed as the literary salon on Sunday, November 4 at Enugu, past the age of 86. Dark again .. in the Nigerian literary firmament when veteran novelist, pharmacist and public commentator, CyprianEkwensi past. So another Lagos-based paper The Guardian has announced that sad event.
The author of the popular series of novels, Jagua Nana died in the Niger Foundation in Enugu, where he had undergone an operation for an unknown illness.
He is the author's first published novel is the social life in the metropolis of Lagos, with its down-to-earth style of writing and his prolific output of over 20 novels to his credit. Ekwensi was celebrated asthe progenitor of the Roman city, which highlights drawn a lot of description of the premises with a largely episodic style of his previous pamphlet.
Ekwensi woman who is in his late 60s said he cut short his trip abroad after two weeks to fly him back from Lagos to Enugu, adding that in the last month had regularly visited the hospital . "Since we left Lagos, we have not rested. It 's one thing to another ...", he said.
Mrs. Ekwensi, the staggeredWaist pain, as he told his story, revealed that the pain increased during the long days in the hospital while attending to her husband. "The hospital bed has been my bank," he lamented, adding that the condition of her husband, remained critical until his death. The deceased's eldest son George, who started in the U.S. when he learned from his father, suffering, flew into consultation with the major and native of Anambra reports on funeral plans.
In an interview with the Daily Sun,Ike's son, novelist, noted that his father would be buried determined not only by family members, given his outstanding contribution to national development.
Ekwensi was up for an award in Lagos, due November 16. He had a good spirit of Lagos a month ago with the hope of collecting the prize did not know later that did not have it done.
After the death of the famous novelist, the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, pastand present governors, ministers, writers and all the progressive Grand Alliance have expressed shock over his death.
Ekwensi have described the death as a great loss to Nigeria and the entire literary world. Factions General President of Ohanaeze, Dozie Ikedife said, had left a great Igbo son, insisted that he tied enviable that would last for generations to come later. "It 's a shame. He is one of the greatest writers of our time .... It' s beenone day .... Nigerians and the entire literary world will surely miss him. . . . "He said. Ikedife urged the family to bear the loss of composure, trusting in God and the faith he helped his best, writing and social engineering.
The governor said Ekwensi death is a gap in the state and in the literary world has created and ensured that the state government would participate fully in the funeral. As a traditional leader and reigning champion, the EkwensiFamily first officially announced the news of his death the Government to make.
In his tribute, said the president of the National Progressive Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh All Ekwensi death robbed Nigeria, one of the greatest literary mind has led the country. He noted that his work was instrumental in the development of literature in Nigeria added that all Nigerians would have been much to lose.
Former HealthMinisters recalled and Professor ABC Nwosu, the late literary icon who began life as a pharmacist, has played a crucial role in the eradication of Guinea worm disease feared then played in the old Anambra state chairman of the Administration of the state of health at the time when he (Nwosu) was said Commissioner of Health, would be difficult to obtain Ekwensi the past, with his ingenuity be used both as a writer and administrator.
"It 's a terrible blow ....He gave me the key word when he was chairman of the Anambra and get rid of Health Commissioner of Health under the late Emeka Omeruah "Guinea-worm." We go through the whole range to find the football Abakaliki Guinea worm. He helped me process the money from Japan to finance the project. We were both former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. A person with a beautiful fine taking effect .... "Nwosu.
The former governor of old Anambra, Chief Christian Onoha also describedEkwensi death as a blow to the literary world. Onoha between the first group of people who have a sympathy visit to the Hill View Crescent, Independence Layout, Enugu residence of the late prolific writer, said the news came to him with a rude shock, expressed dismay that he could die in a Ekwensi time for him, "we need for our education reform."
Dressed in white lace, the elder statesman, he said, but was comforted by the fact that the late Ekwensi everwasting his time on earth, adding that his contributions to the literary world would live forever. He said that Ekwensi who wrote many books of literature who lived and died for writing and extended his sympathies to the Nigerian literary world and across the south-east.
The information minister, described the late John Odey "Ekwensi as an important factor for the unity of Nigeria and the development of literary culture in the country."
The message is: "the Federal RepublicGovernment has received the news of the sudden death of a prominent citizen of your state and a famous literary icon of this country, Chief Cyprian Ekwensi, sadly. "I am particularly touched by his death because he had become such a staff of my Ministry, where he rose to a director."
In response to the death of the writer, said National President, Association of Nigerian Author (ANA), Dr. Wale Okediran, "his death, though at a ripe old age marks the end of a traditionStorytelling. As a writer of light fiction, COD was a natural storyteller whose works are accessible and fun. "
Okediran, the kind described in the late Ekwensi as his master in the popular literature, said in a structure called the Village of Abuja ANA proposal would be immortal after him, as part of the ANA plan, adding that along with the ANA is the Nigerian Arm PEN, a worldwide association of writers, to make available, a documentary aboutEkwensi all Nigerians.
A former ANA President Professor Obafemi said on his part: Ekwensi is the loss of a key architect of the modern Nigerian literature and the first to carve a national character for Nigerian fiction in Nigeria. "It was one of those who established the canon and popular fiction in the pillars. The death has taken away an ancient voice in the Nigerian creative cosmos. "
Professor Olu Obafemi writer described the deceased as a key figure inFoundation of the literature now known as Nigeria. According to the Nigerian Obafemi Ekwensi would be remembered forever as one of the oldest writers of English literature, the phrase held the national character. "Death Ekwensi," he said, "is a great loss to Nigerian literature. It 'was one of the main architects of the modern Nigerian literature as early as 1950 and 1960, he began to write about issues and events of hisethnic background.
Deputy General Secretary of ANA, Mr. Hyacinth Obunseh Ekwensi described the death as unfortunate. Obunseh said it would have been the literary community and the world especially for its lack his particular kind of writing. "Ekwensi imaginative and descriptive power is much we miss," said Obunseh .. He deplores the fact that the late literary giant did not live long enough to complete his autobiography.
Another writer, Fred Uzo, expressed the hopethat Nigeria "give him the honor that comes from a humanist scholar and writer of his stature.".
Ekwensi published in early 2007 delivery, a collection of short stories that should be his last book. When he turned 86 years ago celebrated Association of Nigeria Author (ANA), Lagos State Chapter and the Committee on the Arts (CORA) to him.
Narrated by the transfer of Ekwensi, poet and former president of ANA, Odia Ofeimu was "shockedWords "comment immediately.To the newly elected Lagos State ANA chairman, Mr. Chike Ofili, was a depressing piece of information. He denied his comments until later. When the news of the death of Nigerian authors were rounding off their annual convention held in Owerri, Imo State.
Cyprian Ekwensi Duaka Odiatu was Minna in Northern Nigeria in September 26th, 1921 at Duaka Ogbuefi David and Agnes Ekwensi Use born. He later lived in Onitsha in the east .. E 'waseducated at public school, Jos, Government College, Ibadan, Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos, achimota College, Ghana, lbadan University where he received his BA
He studied forestry and worked for two years as a forestry official. He also taught science and worked for Radio Nigeria before joining the School of Pharmacy, Lagos, which led him to the University of London, where he continued his studies at the Chelsea School of Pharmacy E 'in this period he wrote his firstIkolo drama The Wrestler and Other Stories when love and Whispers, both published in 1947 were. He also participated in an international program written in University of Iowa, USA.
He lectured in pharmacy at Lagos and was employed as a pharmacist by the Nigerian Medical Corporation. After the favorable reception of his writing in advance was Ekwensi the Nigerian Ministry of Information and ascended to the director of information by the time of the first military coup in1966th unrest continues in the western and northern regions in summer 1966, can give Ekwensi that its position and the relocation of his family to Enugu. There he became chairman of the Foreign Office of Advertising in Biafra and an adviser of the head of state, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Ekwensi began his writing career as a pamphlet, a fact that has clearly demonstrated the episodic nature of his novels. This trend is also supported by the people of the city (1954) illustrates thefirst great novel by a Nigerian, in which Ekwensi was a vibrant portrait of life in the western city of publication. Two stories for children followed in 1960, is the Drummer Boy and the passport of Mallam Ilia, merger exercises were traditional themes with undisguised romanticism.
Ekwensi most widely read novel, Jagua Nana, 1961.returned in the local version of the people of the city, but the story more cohesive praised the character of Jagua, a centeredCourtesan had a love for expensive. His name was a corruption of the expensive English car. His personal life, the conflict between tradition and modern urban Africa. Ekwensi published a sequel in 1987 titled Jagua Nana's Daughter. Ekwensi stressed description of the premises and its episodic style was particularly suited to the story.
Burning Grass (1961) are basically a collection of vignettes of a family through the Fulani EkwensiKnowing the life of this pastoral people. Ekwensi basis of the novel and the characters in a real family, with whom he lived. Between 1961 and 1966 Ekwensi least one major work published every year. The most important were, beautiful spring (1963) and Iska (1966), and two collections of short stories, Rainmaker (1965) and Lokotown (1966). Ekwensi publish further beyond 1960, the novel Divided We Stand (1980), in which he ridiculed the Nigerian civil war, theNovella Motherless Baby (1980) and The Restless City Christmas Gold (1975), the monastery behind Wall (1987) and Mecca (1991) Gone. His work, Divided We Stand (1980), is scheduled for the discussion of literary experts in a conference on 40 years after the Civil War.
Ekwensi also published a series of works for children. Under the name COD Ekwensi, he released Ikolo the wrestler and other Ibo Tales (1947) and The Leopard's Claw (1950). In 1960 he wrote an African nightEntertainment (1962), The Great Elephant-Bird (1965) and Trouble in the form of six (1966). Ekwensi later works for children include Coal Camp Boy (1971), Samankwe in the Strange Forest (1973), Samankwe and robbers (1975), Masquerade Time! (1992) and King forever! (1992). In recognition of his skill as a writer, was Ekwensi the Dag Hammarskjold International Prize for literary merit awarded in 1969.
