Tribute as renowned art scholar, Acholonu dies An era ended in Nigerian literature and arts two days ago with the death of veteran author and Afro-centric historian, Catherine Acholonu, better known for many of her provocative books and researches. Her death at a period when Nigeria is about to begin a dialogue for genuine nationhood comes across as a symbolic curtain call to her over many years in studious investigative writing and gender advocacy which was dedicated to demystifying the myth that the white race is more superior to Blackman civilisation through such books as the ‘Oladah Equiano’ and her recent award winning, ‘The Gram Code of African Adam’ (2005) among others. Mourning her passage, members of the Nigeria literary community have highlighted her rare faculty, gift and tenacity to tread where others are afraid. They also noted her penchant for veering into new researches no matter the challenge which many of her contemporaries seemed to have ignored In their tributes, experts also noted her exemplary commitment to her works as a creative writer per excellence, despite being a woman and coming from a very humble background, noting that even recently, the cerebral scholar, released an award winning provocative novel, The Gram Code of African Adam, which claimed that historical Adam could have been a Blackman and an African. Acholonu, the former senior special assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on arts and culture and several winner of several global literary awards died on Tuesday in Imo State. A brief message online disclosed that the scholar and cultural activist has been battling with a cancer related illness for long now. Her condition however deteriorated and she was taken to various hospitals for treatment, all to no avail. It was after several efforts to treat her failed that she gave up. Commenting on the development, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria Nsukka, (UNN) Prof. Damien Opata, described Acholonu’s death as a great loss as it ends an epoch in genre one of the vocal women writing that dwells on intensive research. Prof. Opata notes: “To me Acholonu is an icon. It will be very difficult to have someone who will have the kind boldness she always has when it comes to researches. Acholonu’s scholarship was dedicated to an avid quest for demystifying the notion that black and woman are sub-human race. More importantly, she also canvassed for an egalitarian society as she regular urged that justice and fair play be the foundation of the Nigerian nationhood. Hence, her death at a time when the nation is trying to dialogue and address many of the fundamental problems comes at a critical time when her ideology is germane.’’ Traditional ruler of Igboukwu kingdom, Aguata, Anambra State ,Igwe Martin Eze who is currently working with Acholonu on a project of Igboland equally appraised her thus: “The death of the erudite professor was a big loss, not only for Igboland but for the entire nation and blackrace.” Igwe Martins noted that after her studies overseas, Acholonu had returned home to identify with her people. And since then, she has remained a voice and icon. He regretted that Acholonu did not live long to reap the benefits of her labour. ‘‘She was a woman who used her talent to project Blackman viewpoint both at home and abroad,’’ Acholonu was born in Orlu to the family of Chief Lazarus Olumba. She attended secondary schools in Orlu before becoming the first African woman to gain a master’s degree (1977) and a Ph.D. (1987) from the University of Düsseldorf, Germany. She authored over 16 books, many of which are used in secondary schools and universities in Nigeria, and in African Studies Departments in USA and Europe. Her works and projects have enjoyed the collaboration and the support of United States Information Service (USIS), the British Council, and the Rockefeller Foundation and in 1989 she was invited to tour educational institutions in USA, lecturing on her works under the United States International Visitor’s Program. In 1990 Catherine Acholonu was honored with the Fulbright Scholar in Residency award by the US government, during which she lectured at four colleges of the Westchester Consortium for International studies, NY, USA. Part of her work has taken her into the wider sphere of sustainable development. In 1986 she was the only Nigerian, and one of only two Africans, to participate in the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on “Women, Population and Sustainable Development: the Road to Rio, Cairo and Beijing”, which was organised jointly by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Division for the Advancement of Women, and the Division for Sustainable Development. This took place in the Dominican Republic, and focused on the mainstreaming of gender into the Plans of Action of the UN world conferences of Rio, Beijing and Cairo. She was recently appointed African Renaissance Ambassador by the African Renaissance Conference with head quarters in the Republic of Benin, and Nigeria’s sole representative at the global Forum of Arts and Culture for the Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNFAC).c
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 06:17:41 +0000
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