Harry Garba dies at 61

Our Reporter

ONE of Nigeria’s leading literary scholars, Prof Harry Garba died at the weekend in South Africa.

Prof Garba until his demise was a scholar at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. A statement by the university last night said, “UCT is greatly saddened to announce that Professor Harry Garuba (61) passed away on the evening of 28 February 2020 following a long illness. The university conveys heartfelt condolences to the Garuba family and friends.”

He was a lecturer at the University of Ibadan before moving to South Africa. His first collection of poems, ”Shadow & Dream and Other Poems”, was published by New Horn Press, when he was 24. His second collection of poems, “Animist Chants and Memorials” was published in 2017 by Kraft Books Limited.

He was an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town,  and held a joint appointment in African Studies and the English Department. He was also at the University of Zululand, South Africa.

He was educated at Government College, Ughelli, and Edo College, Benin City, His play, ”Pantomime for Saint Apartheid’s Day.” was published in FESTAC Anthology of Nigerian New Writing in 1977. He was the editor of ”Voices From the Fringe”, the Association of Nigerian Authors’s anthology of New Nigerian poetry, which many critics agreed changed the direction of poetry in the country.  He was once Assistant General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He is survived by his mother, wife, children and other relations.

One of his closest allies and classmate, Mr Ben Tomoloju yesterday mourned the demise of Garba. He described it as “A personal loss’ to him. According to him, “We were classmates at the University of Ibadan from 1975-78. He was one of the stars in our English class and the literary circle. He was an outstanding critic and young poet laureate. I am impressed by his meteoric rise and it is depressing coming a few months after we lost another friend Jide Ogungbade. It is hard to bear. I commiserate with his family, the University of Ibadan, his family in Edio State and humanity in general. It is a big shock.”

In his own tribute, Prof Toyin Falola of the University of Texas at Austin said, “We lost the outstanding poet, great essayist, and famous literary figure. Professor Garuba was full of talents. Very well known in the literary world, his voice started to echo at Ibadan, crossing the Atlantic, and then detouring to South Africa where he and Professor Kole Omotosojoined in the transformation of the South African academy.

“I had planned to see him in the coming weeks. Not anymore. Harry was a secularist. I don’t know what he would say if I ask God to invite him to His side, but I seek this assurance. Harry lived a glorious life.”