Philippe Wamba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Philippe Wamba (June 3, 1971 - September 11, 2002) was an African American editor and writer. He went to Harvard University, then to graduate school at Columbia University, before working in a variety of writing and publishing projects, culminating in his serving as editor-in-chief of a now defunct online magazine called Africana.com. In 1999, he published a memoir titled Kinship: A Family's Journey in Africa and America, which was promoted by his mentor Henry Louis Gates, and which received some good notices. Wamba was profiled in the New York Times Magazine in connection with the publication of this book.

Wamba was born in California, grew up in Boston and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, went to high school in New Mexico, where he attended the UWC-USA, before college in Massachusetts and graduate school in New York. He built his public persona around the claim of a fusion of African traditions, as represented by his educator-turned-Congo-rebel-leader father, and African American, as represented by his Detroit-born mother.

He died in a car crash in Kenya while conducting research on African youth movements. After his death, the Harvard African Students Alumni Network announced plans to raise funds in his memory to promote traffic safety in Africa. Gates spoke at his funeral, saying "Philippe lived on no man's hyphen."

[edit] References

• "Philippe Wamba, African and African American, Dead at 31"
• Philippe E. Wamba Memorial Fund for the Improvement of Road Traffic Safety in Africa
• "Tribute: author, editor, activist Philippe Wamba, 1971-2002," Kate Tuttle, Black Issues Book Review, January 1, 2003