HOW IS COLOMBIAN WRITER, GABRIEL MARQUEZ RELEVANT TO US IN EAST AFRICA?

Gabriel Marquez busy at his desk.  AP photo from First Post....

Over forty years ago when I was at Ilboru Secondary School, teachers encouraged education in various ways. Take Mr Hopland from Norway. During my form two year he offered weekly prizes if you read many books. I recall getting my share of glory. It has since helped me in pursuit of knowledge. Or the beloved literature Zimbabwean lady, Mama Victoria Chitepo. She used to sit in front of our form three class, shouting sternly:

“Boys! I want you all to look at my face! Boys! Come on!”

It was slightly intimidating to keep a steady stare. Think. We averaged 16 and 17 years and uneasy about females.  The age of broken innocence- when you begin viewing women other than respectful mothers, aunties, sisters and grandmothers.

But Mama Chitepo  (pictured in the middle) had a peculiar manner of teaching. She was also foreign.  Around that time, Ilboru Secondary School- late 1960s to early 1970s... was a “palace” of international teachers. We had Scandinavians, Americans, British, West, East and South Africans, not to mention Tanzanians. Years of serious, serious education.

CHINUA ACHEBE’S TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN LITERACY

Chinua Achebe speaking at SOAS London in 2008 to commemorate 50 years of publication of Things Fall Apart. Pic by F Macha...

Overseas based Africans do all sorts of jobs. What they qualified at institutions of higher education is often thrown out of the window for mundane jobs to support families and a life that is as tough as this March’s freezing weather, rain and snow plus shocking news of death. Anglo-European news broadcasts were mum, but stations that beam African news (Al Jazeera, French TV 5, Africa Channel etc) did mourn the famous, esteemed Nigerian writer’s demise, last Thursday.  

I was chatting to a Tanzanian musician who once worked at a five star London hotel. 

“The place received interesting visitors; one night boooom! In strolled two prominent African writers. They were attending a big conference. Later we sat for a long time talking.  I said to myself, Woow! I am sitting with celebrities.”

One was the 1986 Nobel Prize For Literature winner, Wole Soyinka; first African to scoop the coveted award since French writer Sully Prudhomme netted it in 1901.

“I could not believe I was chatting to Soyinka and fellow Nigerian legend, Chinua Achebe. Achebe said he gets ideas to write out of the blue, gifted by God.  Because I had told him I am a musician -and this is a side job I do to pay bills- he said the way I compose songs is the same way a writer works.”