• One was a teacher of teachers who left wisdom footprints on the way of Time
• The other was well known for his satirical critiques of African decolonisation
Image: COURTESY
In Kenya, there is a saying that English is not a language from here; it came by ship. Perhaps the same can be said of the Covid-19 virus. It is not a flu virus from here; it came by plane.
With airlines grappling with the changing economic environment occasioned by the pandemic, aeroplanes have been grounded, flights cancelled and airports shut. This is true from Nairobi to other places, including the neighbouring Ethiopia. Only cargo planes are being offered a leeway to keep air traffic intact and economies safer from total collapse.
Interestingly, it is one year since the Ethiopian Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed near Bishoftu, killing all 157 people on board. The flight came down minutes after taking off. Since no bodies were ever found due to the impact of the crash, many families are still seeking closure, for the memories of losing their loved ones are still near and clear.
DNA science and intricate investigations managed later to assign identities to the indescribable remains collected as samples from the crash site. Many of the passengers who perished in the ill-fated flight were Kenyans returning home from abroad. Prof Agnes Gathumbi and Dr Isaac Mwangi were among the 36 Kenyans who died. The two were returning from Italy, where they were on official university duties.
I remember Prof Gathumbi as a sterling English language pedagogist. She taught me as an undergraduate student in the late 1990s. Many Kenyans did not notice her demise and many more had never heard of her. Yet, many still would recall having used one or two of her textbooks in the course of their high school studies. Teachers in staffrooms across the country still use the books in their English lessons.
Together with other writers, she authored The New Integrated English Book series. These were canonical texts both for teachers and students that were used in secondary schools across Kenya for years. Her books are published by major Kenyan publishing houses, including Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, Oxford University Press and the Kenya Literature Bureau.
Prof Gathumbi also tried her hand in writing for children. Children’s literature today is one of the vibrant sectors of the book industry. For instance, in 2007 and 2008, she published with Phoenix Publishers two interesting books: Two Foolish Bulls and The Step Sisters. Another one, titled Lion, Dog and Cat, was published in 2007 also.
Apart from writing prose, she contributed a number of poems to many anthologies of this genre. One remembers fondly here her two poignant vignettes, “The Parking Boy” and “Farewell”, published in an anthology titled, Tender Memories, which was published in 1989 by Oxford University Press.
Moreover, Agnes Gathumbi was an anthologist of literary short stories of great worth. Her compilations were always selected for inclusion in the teaching of literature in Kenya and beyond. Between 1998 and 2000, The Winner and Other Stories was the recommended KCSE short stories set book in the country. She co-edited the anthology under the aegis of the Kenya Institute of Education, currently known as Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. The lead story, whose title names this book, is by the late Barbara Kimenye, a famous Ugandan writer of children’s literature.
At the time of her death, Prof Gathumbi had left her fecund mark on the literary and educational landscapes of our motherland in an indelible manner. Gathumbi was the Director of the Institute of Teacher Professional Development for many years. Here is a teacher of teachers whose track record will forever be visible as wisdom footprints on the way of Time. Her death occurred as she returned to Kenya from her assignment in Italy, now under the dark cloud of the ongoing global corona pandemic.
As the world continues to reel from the miasma of the pandemic, with each day bearing dour news for world populations, including Kenyans, let us remain steadfast in recognising the heroes of the moment. For every cloud has its silver lining.
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The Nigerian literary critic, poet and world-renowned scholar, Prof Pius Adesanmi, perished in the same doomed flight, too. He is well known for his satirical critiques of African post-independence decolonisation, published widely on numerous media and academic platforms.
A new prize celebrating his intellectual legacy was awarded last year in Kenya at the African Studies Association of African (ASAA) International Conference held at USIU-Africa. It is called The Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing. It was awarded to Kagiso Molope for her captivating debut novel, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road (2018).
Pius’ own first book, The Wayfarer and Other Poems, won the Association of Nigerian Authors’ Poetry Prize in 2001. A new book, in which I have penned him several verse tributes, has just been published in his memory. It is titled Wreaths for a Wayfarer: An Anthology in Honour of Pius Adesanmi (2020), edited by Nduka Otiono and Uchechukwu Umezurike. Both books are available on www.amazon.com
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Dr JKS Makokha teaches Literature and Theatre at Kenyatta University
Image: NDUKA OTIONO