SYNW reacts to Gabriel Okara’s death

SYNW REACTS TO GABRIEL OKARA’S DEATH

The National President of the society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW), Mr. Wole Adedoyin  has paid tribute to the father of modern Nigerian Poetry and shares the grief not only with the people of the Bayelsa state government but the entire pen community.

With Gabriel Okara’s death we have lost one of the truly major voices in Nigerian, African and world Poetry. Okara’s renowned poems offered readers around the world a powerful up close view of historical events and issues in Nigeria.

“We join the writer’s family and all of Nigeria in mourning the loss of this great and important literary figure. This is another loss to the literary community”, Adedoyin said.

Gabriel Imomotimi Okara (24 April 1921 – 25 March 2019) was a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bumoundi in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The first Modernist poet of Anglophone Africa, he is best known for his early experimental novel, The Voice (1964), and his award-winning poetry, published in The Fisherman's Invocation (1978) and The Dreamer, His Vision (2005). 

He attended the landmark African Writers Conference held on 1 June 1962 at Makerere University College in Kampala, Uganda, along with such writers as Chinua Achebe, Rajat Neogy, Bloke Modisane, Okot p'Bitek, Bernard Fonlon, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Segun Olusola, Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, Rebecca Njau, Wole Soyinka, John Pepper Clark, Saunders Redding, Christopher Okigbo, Francis Ademola, Ezekiel Mphahlele, Arthur Maimane, and others.

In both his poems and his prose, Okara drew on African thought, religion, folklore and imagery, and he has been called "the Nigerian Negritudist".According to Brenda Marie Osbey, editor of his Collected Poems, "It is with publication of Gabriel Okara's first poem that Nigerian literature in English and modern African poetry in this language can be said truly to have begun."

SYNW advises Ajimobi to immortalize Isola, Faleti and Kosemani before he leaves Agodi

SYNW ADVISES AJIMOBI TO IMMORTALIZE ISOLA, FALETI AND KOSEMANI BEFORE HE LEAVES AGODI

The Society of Young Nigerian writers whose headquarters resides in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital has urged the outgoing Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to honour and immortalize three Yoruba literary legends who all hailed from the pace setter state. 

This was contained in a press release made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Monday by the National President of the Society, Mr. Wole Adedoyin who is also the Coordinator of Ibadan Book Club (IBC).

The three literary sage from the state according to SYNW to be honored are; Late Chief Supo Kosemani , anchor of Owe L'esin Oro (an Actor, Yoruba Proverb Expert and Yoruba Culture Advocate), Late Prof. Akinwumi Isola (Yoruba Poet, Actor, Playwright, and Novwelist)  and the Late Dr. Adebayo Faleti also (an Actor, Poet and Novelist). These three literary personalities had put Yoruba literature on the World Literature Map before they died and they were all from Oyo State.

Adebayo Faleti (26 December 1921 – 23 July 2017) was Africa's first newscaster, Africa's first stage play Director, Africa's first film editor and librarian with the first television station in Africa (WNTV/WNBS), Nigeria's first Yoruba presenter on television and radio alike, a Nigerian poet, journalist, writer, Nollywood films director and actor. He was also known as a Yoruba translator, a broadcaster, TV exponent and pioneer of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), now known as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

Professor Akinwunmi Isola (24 December 1939 – 17 February 2018) was a Nigerian playwright, novelist, actor, dramatist, culture activist and scholar. He was known for his writing in, and his work in promoting, the Yoruba language.

Chief Supo Kosemani, a former chairman of the Oyo State Council for Arts and Culture.

Adedoyin, finally urged the people of Yoruba speaking state to immortalize the three great sons of Oyo state by registering their works in their minds.

Yoruba language and literature is dying because governors from the Yoruba speaking states are not doing what they supposed to be doing for the writers and readers of the language, Adedoyin concluded.

SYNW mourns the passing of Prof. Pius Adesanmi

SYNW MOURNS THE PASSING OF PROF. PIUS ADESANMI

The Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) on Monday joined other Nigerians to mourn the death Prof. Pius Adesanmi. Prof. Pius Adesanmi, was among the 157 passengers and crew members that died in a plane crash on Sunday. The Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on Sunday morning shortly after leaving Addis Ababa for Nairobi in Kenya. 

A press release signed by Mr. Wole Adedoyin and Mr. Izunna Okafor, SYNW National President and National Secretary on Monday, said they received the news of the death of the literary giant with shock and pray that his soul should rest in eternal peace.

SYNW National President, Mr. Wole Adedoyin described the death of Prof. Pius Adesanmi as shocking and monumental loss to Nigerian Literary Circle and the academics.

It would be recalled that the Late Prof. Pius Adesanmi was our Keynote speaker during the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) 30^th International Convention which took place in Uyo, the state capital of Akwa-Ibom in 2012 during the presidency era of Prof. Remi Raji. Prof. Pius Adesanmi delivered paper on the theme “What Does Nigerian Literature Secure”.

The release further described the deceased, who was a widely cited commentator on African politics, literature, and culture. Adesanmi taught African literature and African cultural studies in the English and French Departments at the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.  Before he joined Carleton University in 2006, he was an Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the Pennsylvania State University, USA, from 2002-2005.

The literary body also expressed their condolences to the family, Carleton University and to the people of the pen community for the loss of the literary icon.