Cyprian Ekwensi is Dead

Cyprian Ekwensi, a famous Nigerian author, died yesterday, November 4, in Enugu, Nigeria. I remember Ekwensi for his books The passport of Malam Ilia, Jagua Nana, Jagua Nana’s Daughter, and his Nigerian civil war chronicles Divided We stand. Remembering him and his books remind me of the times when I used to spend days on end simply reading novels, gulping them in and trying very hard to digest them. I think it would only be fair to admit that Ekwensi’s books were part of my growing up process, and that I would be the poorer if I had not read them. I don’t know if I have the right to say that I would miss him – not that I had thought so much about him until I heard he died – but reading about his death reminds of my childhood, and of how further I have moved away from those times. And I find myself wondering whether the fact that I am not upset about his death reveals how far away I have moved from the days when I used to stay in my grandfathers library and race to finish two African Writers Series books in a day. I wonder if I should be worried about this. I don’t think I need to add that Cyprian Ekwensi will be missed, most of all by his family, but also by the people he touched through his writing.