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The Nigerian Poet and Scholar, Professor Harry Garuba, Dies at 61.

Professor Harry Garuba died on the 28 February, 2020, in South Africa, “following a long illness”, according to Premium Times Ng.

The professor, who was born in Akure, Nigeria in 1958, obtained three degrees—M.A., B.A., and PhD—in English from the University of Ibadan; between 1981 and 1997, he lectured English in the university. In 2001, he joined the University of Cape Town, where he became a full professor in 2008.

A poet, his first book of poems was Shadow & Dream & Other Poems, published in 1991, and the most recent was Animal Chants, published in 2017. He also published scholarly works and edited anthologies, some of which include: Mask and Meaning in Black Drama: Africa and the Diaspora (1988); Voices from the Fringe: An ANA Anthology of New Nigerian Poetry (1988). Added to these are over 40 critical articles. Africa is A Country tweeted that he is “one of the finest professors of African Studies and English.”

Recently, the Guardian published a poem by Professor Harry Garuba, “Leaving home at 10”, as Poem of the Week. Click here to read the poem.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam

Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam writes prose fiction and creative non-fiction. She is the founder of creativewritingnews.com. Her first novella, Finding Love Again was published by Ankara Press. Her second novella, The Heiress' Bodyguard was shortlisted for the Saraba Manuscript Awards. She currently works as content marketer for various online businesses. You can follow her at @cwritingnws.

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