(Chants, Dreams, and Other Grammars of Love; Eds: Remi Raji, Natasha Himmelman, Josephine Alexander, Oyeniyi Okunoye, Idowu Omoyele, Bongani Kona ; Kraft Books Limited, 2022
Genesis: Cover page
THE cover page is in Black and White but for the name of Harry Garuba in red. The etched letterings are such that a visually impaired reader can feel the name and title of the book. The picture chosen for the front cover was taken by Victor Ehikhamenor. The picture in its depiction reads as an independent text in relation to the font selected by the producers of the book. The smile and direction of Harry with slight sun light coming from behind his head is pregnant with visual connotations. The man may be gone but he cannot be forgotten his smile appears to suggest. To put the smile in its proper context, talking about reading a smile, Toyin Adewale-Gabriel provides a vivid textual description of a “smile spreading across his face, lighting up his eyes and making you feel truly welcome.” Now the contest between words and the image can only be resolved by readers. Now let us delve into the book about life.
Testaments: Old and those who knew him
It is said that readers should never judge a book by its cover, but they must be willing to judge the content from what it covers or uncovers. It is no more part of scholarly debate that the supreme judges of any piece of creative work are the readers and critics. Before moving forward, the voices of those who put the book together must be heard and read in full. “Here is a collection of reflections, reminiscences, critical reviews and poems, all dedicated to the memory of Harry Oludare Garuba, scholar-poet and professor in the Department of English and at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The name ‘Harry Garuba’ has become synonymous with excellence and innovative scholarship. Well-loved and deeply respected, he left a legacy in the world of African literary scholarship, the impact of which reverberates across institutions and organizations in Africa, Europe, and North America. Acknowledging his global reach, we strive to produce an enduring text that bears testimony to Harry Garuba’s iconic intellectual stature, as well as his profound care and mentorship across generations, disciplines, and borders. Among those who have contributed to this book of tributes are his teachers, classmates and colleagues, his students, his admirers, and his students’ students. We commit this gedenkschrift as chants and grammars of love for a brilliant scholar and poet. Each contribution comes to the reader on its own terms, all united by their commitment to honour the man, Harry Oludare Garuba, of blessed memory.” The only thing missing is that this is a book in which the living speaks for the dead. So unlike Soyinka’s “you cannot wear the uniform of death to speak against death” the contributors to this book of many voices wear the uniform of life to speak for a dead scholar. In the voice of the ancestral mask, let it be said that Harry ku, Harry ku meaning Harry maybe dead but the essence of Harry remains.
That honor starts from a man who does not toy with the written word. Professor Toyin Falola, the historian, writer, and critic developed his ideas in over forty pages. In those pages he elaborately set the scene about Nigerian literature and the min actors who took the lead. He did not forget the unsung heroes who did not cut down trees to set down their ideas. He labored to bring the chanters to life by intervening in the literary strife of how honor should be distributed. When it was time to bring Harry Garuba to the stage of his discourse he allowed his subject speak on various issues. First was the nebulous matter of generations that has been one easy trap set by literary scholars. That division of first, second and third generations. He left no one in doubt where Harry Garuba stood on the subject matter of literary periodization. Toyin Falola allows the name of Niyi Osundare to be slipped in by Sule E Egya, as the godfather of the third generation (pg. 22). There is no need of a Song and dance about the hands and voice of Osundare-Garuba in the affairs of the birth of another generation of poets around the country.
The second important issue brought up in Falola’s contribution was about how to read African Literature. Let magical realism take a back seat and let the concept of Animist materialism take its rightful place. Christopher Ouma’s (2020) tongue of good report (apologies to Sesan Ekisola) was what Falola pressed into service to help throw light on a turgid subject matter. I now confess that both the source material and the attempted breakdown is above my pay grade. So let me move my narration forward to safe grounds.
However, what is within my competence is an attempt at reconstructing the timeline of Harry Garuba against the background of dates provided. The facts available indicate that Harry Garuba graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, one year after FESTAC ’77 and 11 years after that World Festival of Arts he obtained a PhD from the same University of Ibadan. It was the same year that he has been credited with the founding of Ibadan Poetry Club (IPC). Though there is hardly any place in the book in which a correlation is drawn between the choice of research interest and FESTAC ’77. It remains mere speculation that that massive cultural gathering would have had an impact on his choice of subject. How else could one explain how Masks & meaning in Black Drama came to be. It would be interesting to find out from his close associates how FESTAC 77 influenced him.
Since Harry Garuba is like an ancestor who is constantly invoked to life through text, Nduka Otino leaves no one in doubt about his close connection to Harry Garuba masquerade. It is from his contribution that a reader would learn about the other side of this academic. Harry’s life in newsrooms away from the chalk and blackboards is so well represented and documented. If Osundare is held up as the godfather of the third generation of Nigerian poets, Nduka holds up Stanley Macebuh as the father of Nigerian intellectual journalism. Since fathers begat children, it appears that Harry’s umbilical cord to journalism is traceable to Stanley Macebuh and to Nduka must the credit of the coming together by deposited. To those of us who never visited Iya Ijebu nor had the fortune of listening to tunes at “Awake” rundown pub and nightclub, now is the time to revisit what happened at the non-legal bars. So, if any reader is interested in the role of Beer in creativity, here is a chapter that gave it all without hinderance.
Moving from the lighthearted to another aspect of Harry Garuba’s life is the chapter by Aika Swai, a passionate teacher of Literature. Her major concern is Harry’s teaching style and philosophy. I still cannot understand how he managed to combine compassion and strictness. In line with other contributors, she picks on one of Harry’s seminal works to construct the larger-than-life character of her subject. In the words of Swai “I wish I had the chance to let Harry Garuba know how his writing not only caused transformative experiences and the highest quality of learning, but also inspired excellent poetry and prose that deserves a shelf-life of its own.”
How else can you show the effectiveness of a teacher-philosopher if not by illustrating how a student internalized the master’s words. Swai’s student reflected on the work and produced a masterpiece worthy of being shared with a global audience. Still sticking with classroom issues, the chapter by Philip Aghoghovwia (pp. 81 – 85) starts from the very personal before taking readers on a tour of decolonizing the curriculum. He painstakingly helps readers understand the complexity of how African science of knowing can be recovered and restored in academic curriculum. Harry Garuba himself asked the question “what is an African Curriculum” and in a 2015 article provided a robust answer which Aghoghovwia shared on page 83 of the book under review.
It would be difficult to unearth why it took half a dozen editors to midwife this collection of thoughts and ideas. The only thing that comes to mind is that Jesus had twelve disciples, but this collection settled for half of that number. The whole book is divided into Essays, Poems, & Tributes. As expected, the sub-section on poems had the greatest number of contributors. There is no need to detain you with the summaries from over 60 contributors to the festschrift. The richness of these voices allows readers gain an entrance into the life of an enigma who lived life to the fullest.
*Dr Ade-Odutola teaches at the University of Florida, Gainsville, USA
Comments are closed.