Cyprian Ekwensi
| Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 September 1921 Minna, Niger State |
| Died |
4 November 2007 Enugu, Enugu State |
| Occupation | Pharmacist, broadcaster, author |
| Genres | Short stories and children's fiction |
| Spouse(s) | Eunice Anyiwo |
| Children | Five |
Cyprian Ekwensi MFR[1] (26 September 1921 – 4 November 2007) was a Nigerian short story writer and author of children's books.
Biography
Early life, education and family
Ekwensi, an Igbo, was born in Minna, Niger State. His father was David Anadumaka, a story-teller and elephant hunter.[2]
Ekwensi attended Government College in Ibadan, Oyo State, Achimota College in Ghana, and the School of Forestry, Ibadan, after which he worked for two years as a forestry officer.[1] He also studied pharmacy at Yaba Technical Institute, Lagos School of Pharmacy, and the Chelsea School of Pharmacy of the University of London. He taught at Igbobi College.[1]
Ekwensi married Eunice Anyiwo, and they had five children.[1]
He has many grandchildren, including his son Cyprian Ikechi Ekwensi, who is named after his grandfather, and his oldest grandchild Adrianne Tobechi Ekwensi.
Governmental career
Ekwensi was employed as Head of Features at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and by the Ministry of Information during the First Republic;[3] he eventually became Director of the latter. He resigned his position in 1966, before the Civil War, and moved to Enugu with his family. He later served as chair of the Bureau for External Publicity of Biafra,[4] prior to its reabsorption by Nigeria.
Literary career
Ekwensi wrote hundreds of short stories, radio and television scripts, and several dozen novels, including children's books.[1] His 1954 People of the City was the first book by a Nigerian to garner international attention.[2] His novel Drummer Boy (1960), based on the life of Benjamin 'Kokoro' Aderounmu was a perceptive and powerful description of the wandering, homeless and poverty-stricken life of a street artist.[5] His most successful novel was Jagua Nana (1961),[6] about a Pidgin-speaking Nigerian woman who leaves her husband to work as a prostitute in a city and falls in love with a teacher.[7] He also wrote a sequel to this, Jagua Nana's Daughter.[8]
In 1968, he received the Dag Hammarskjöld International Prize in Literature. In 2006, he became a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters.[1]
Death
Ekwensi died on 4 November 2007 at the Niger Foundation in Enugu, where he underwent an operation for an undisclosed ailment.[1] The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), having intended to present him with an award on 16 November 2007, converted the honor to a posthumous award.[9]
Selected works
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Cyprian Ekwensi dies at 86". Daily Trust online. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Adenekan, Shola (2007-11-11). "Obituary: Cyprian Ekwensi". The New Black Magazine online. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ↑ Gérard, Albert S. (1986). European-Language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 654. ISBN 963-05-3834-2.
- ↑ "Cyprian Ekwensi". Encyclopedia of World Biography. Thomson Gale.
- ↑ CHUKA NNABUIFE (29 OCTOBER 2009). "Authors convention begins in Minna". Nigerian Compass. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ↑ "Ekwensi, Cyprian". Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. Running Press. 2003. pp. 226–227. ISBN 0-7624-1642-4.
- ↑ Gérard, p. 656
- ↑ "Jagua Nana's Daughter". Michigan State University Press. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ↑ "ANA plans post humous award for Ekwensi". The Tide Online (Rivers State Newspaper Corporation). 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
External links
- "Cyprian Ekwensi in the eyes of Ndigbo". Nigerian Tribune online (African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc). 2007-11-09. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- The Guardian: Cyprian Ekwensi obituary
- Ode to a Literary Colossus, column by former student
- List of books, Literary map of Africa: West Africa - Nigeria.
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