Fare Thee Well media giant, Dr Nkwabi Ngwanakilala!!! By Edward Qorro As I pen down this brief eulogy, I’m still yearning for sip of beer with him. He proposed for it though, sadly, I did not give it much attention knowing that I would see him once I got done with my media lab training in Nairobi, four years ago with the Nation Media Group. After our colorful graduation ceremony graced by President Kikwete at the Bugando grounds on that sunny morning of November 2008, he pulled me aside for pep talk and what transpired in the father to child chat was the importance of hitting the ground running as I braced the tortious journey to getting employment. One area our fallen lecturer was good at was at encouraging someone to maximize their potentials and to always believe in ourselves and indeed, he was just good at that. We swapped our contacts and that was the last I saw and heard of him until 2010 when he posted one of his funny comments on my Facebook wall, reminding me of the cold Tusker we were to share. Funny as he was, Dr Nkwabi reiterated the importance of sitting down with him for a beer or two, assuring me that we had a lot talk about. In my response, I told him that I was only left with few months before I finished my training and that he should hold his horses, our treat was still on. Oh, how I wish I could have boarded a bus to Mwanza and fulfill that elusive promise that was never to be. I have known Dr Nkwabi since my childhood when he used to pay us a visit at our home in Kinondoni Moscow. I still recall the days when he would carry me shoulder high after I ran towards him, welcoming him tour our house, He was indeed a good friend to my father, Mr Josaphat Qorro, whom received the baton from as the director of the defunct Tanzania News Agency (SHIHATA). Theirs was a strong friendship, and whenever he came to visit us, his face bubbling with a big smile, we were assured of being thrown round of sodas. When I received my confirmation letter signed by Mr Rugaimukamu that I was to join SAUT for a degree in Mass Communication, my father was delighted that his son would be in the safe hands of his pal. On the corridors of SAUT, Dr Nkwabi would hardly recognize me (nobody would, as I had grown some bushy beard), but I was still determined to walk up to him and introduce myself. If my dad had only called him to tell him that I was to join the college, then it would not have taken me that long to walk up to him. But I still waited. He still carried with him that friendly smile. Ever cracking out jokes with his students- he was an outgoing person. Then came my fifth and sixth semester at Malimbe campus where I made the most of our first meet at M10 class where he would teach us International Communications and Current Affairs. I remember he had asked for a class representative (CR) of the class that specialized in Print Media and how I shot up from my seat like a rocket and tell him that it was me. He asked for my name and you could tell from his surprised face of what was going through his mind when he heard the mere mention of Qorro. From there on, I bond was once again attached and sincerely learning under the tutelage of Dr Nkwabi was nothing short of fun. He made learning much easier and engaging. I still remember the arguments we had in our Current Affairs class when it came to the issue of whether Tanzania should embrace Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). He would pose us a question and leave it to us to tussle with it while he stood in front of the class enjoying the arguments we leveled against each other. We had vocal students in Mlagiri Kopoka, the late Fr Salutaris Massawe, Ndimaso Bitekeye, Betty Bhoke and my good friend Shukuru Paul. There was also Sankana Simkoko, the late Jema, Sekeyi Massanja , Emmanuel Mdidi, Shaban Kajiru and Mzee Ibembe Zablon Bugingo. He really felt in love with this class and he has made some us to become who we are you to do; we are greatly indebted to him. Indeed, I’m much honored to have known you as a family friend and also as your student. Having rubbed shoulders with one of your sons Fumbuka Ngwanakilala within the media circles makes me even prouder. Death has robbed us a very important figure in the media fraternity. We, of the fourth estate, believe that a writer dies while working on article; it my belief that you still had countless articles you were working on. Oh, how I wish we had sat down for that drink. Fare Thee Well media giant!!!
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 09:58:11 +0000
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