July 21, (THEWILL) – From the 90s up to 2000, two Nigerians were so popular in South Africa as they became household names. Both were in academia before one made a crossover career to advertising. Both were revered in their respective fields by scholars in major universities in the country. Both had dual citizenship of Nigeria and South Africa. And both died after prolonged illness in South African hospitals far away from their home country Nigeria
The first, Professor Harry Garuba, was a respected poet, literary scholar, critic and author of Shadow & Dream and Other Poems (New Horn Press1982) and Animist Chants and Memorials (Kraft Books Ltd 2017.) He also edited Voices from the Fringe an anthology of younger Nigerian poets such as Afam Akeh, Chiedu Ezeanah, Sanya Osha, Nduka Otiono, Remi Raji and many others who belonged to the Thursday group of poets at University of Ibadan.
Garuba was something of an intellectual superstar at UI where he schooled and taught before heading to South Africa where he had joint appointments in African Studies in University of Cape Town and University of Zululand.
Professor Garuba died of leukemia on February 28 2020. He was 61.
The second, Professor Bankole ‘Kole’ Omotoso, outlived his compatriot by 19 years. A controversial novel brought him literary fame in his country while a Vodacome advert made him more famous in South Africa. Though he started out as a student of Arabic studies which he read up to PhD, he made his mark as a literary scholar in both his native and adopted countries.
Though not as popular as Garuba in the academic circuit, he became an iconic figure as Yebo Gogo in the famous Vodacome advert that captivated millions of viewers across SA for years.
Omotoso was also a rising academic star in Nigeria before he headed down to SA as a teacher and actor. Omotoso became so famous for his Yebo Gogo ads that the venerable Mandela once asked him jokingly that “you are more famous than me in this country.” “It is not possible Mr. President, It is not possible, sir,” the professor replied.
While the Nigerian may not be more famous than South Africa’s most beloved elder statesman and iconic figure, Omotoso made history in Nigeria in 1988 by writing and publishing Just Before Dawn, a panoramic view of Nigeria’s history from pre-colonial times through the first and second republics, the intervening coups all of which he rendered as a fictional narrative.
At the time it was published, JBD elicited responses – both negative and positive – from scholars, novelists, critics and some of those portrayed in it. In an interview with the author on JBD’s 30th anniversary in 2018 published in Premium Times, Omotoso let on to a journalist that some Nigerians took him head on with the book.
One of them was novelist Cyprian Ekwensi who couldn’t stand the literary style and form of JBD, “of merging historical documentation with fictional narrative…a blend of factual accounts and fiction.” On his part, Chinua Achebe said the only historical figure portrayed in a positive light was Obafemi Awolowo while Professor Jibril Aminu dismissed outright the existence of Niima Club aka Kaduna Mafia which Omotoso mentioned in JBD.
Even so, there were encouraging and positive reviews, notably from historians. Professor Toyin Falola not only organised a seminar on the book when it came out but he pointedly asked why “historians have been unable to write a book on Nigeria for popular readership as Omotoso had done.”
The late Prof. J.F. Ade Ajayi also wrote “an incredibly interesting review” of the book that Omotoso considered somewhat “embarrassing.” The historian noted that “JBD was a far more comprehensive and potted history of Nigeria, so remarkably told in a narrative style, than the ponderous 13 volumes of the country’s history another scholar had edited earlier.”
Commenting on the positive and negative responses following publication of JBD, a reporter wryly observed that “when critics disagree on a particular book, subject or work of art… the artist is in accord with himself. It couldn’t have been otherwise for Omotoso, following the plethora of views on and responses to his book – negative and positive. It helped that so many prominent people weighed in with different impressions, thus making JBD an unforgettable publication in the mind of many Nigerians.”
But for the author, what he mostly felt after writing it was “anger, anger because of what I had learnt in the process of writing the book, anger because of what I thought shouldn’t be. What kept going through my mind was Soyinka’s apt phrase about the recurrent cycle of human stupidity. It was something that I borrowed and what I found to be the recurrent cycle of Nigerian stupidity.”
Just last Wednesday, July 19, bad news filtered in from Cape Town that Omotoso died the day before. He’d been suffering from a stroke for months which he did not survive. He was 80.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Prof Omotoso, who is one of the country’s respected academics and playwrights,” Vodacom Group CEO, Shameel Joosub, said. “We remember him as an iconic figure who helped put brand Vodacom on the map through the inventive ‘Yebo Gogo’ advertising campaign that went on to win several advertising accolades.
“I would also like to offer my personal heartfelt condolences to Prof Omotoso’s family. He leaves behind a rich legacy, having played a significant role in inserting brand Vodacom, a brand with deep African roots, into the national consciousness.”
About the Author
Michael Jimoh is a Nigerian journalist with many years experience in print media. He is currently a Special Correspondent with THEWILL.
