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The Thabo Mbeki Letters – (Part 3) : Heroism In Humanity  

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Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon
Prof. Toyin Falola

By Toyin Falola

Across ages and time, concepts are defined based on the overall disposition of people toward the events around them or the values they uphold. In essence, concepts sometimes differ in meaning from time to time, people to people, and even from generation to generation. In other words, the same concept can hold different meanings for different people. For instance, a terrorist to one person might be a freedom fighter to another.

Nelson Mandela of South Africa was labeled a terrorist by the West until the fall of Apartheid. After his release from decades-long incarceration, Mandela was asked if he considered Pablo Escobar a terrorist, to which he responded that how a person is perceived is determined by the disposition of those making the judgment. He reckoned that as much as the West was insistent on making Africans criminalize Pablo Escobar, the man had never trounced any African moral principles and, therefore, was innocent in the eyes of Africa and its people. Of course, that response unsettled the Europeans, who often expect the whole world to see things through their lens.

The way heroes and heroines are defined often changes based on culture and time. In the past, individuals were defined by the masculine prowess they demonstrated when confronted with overwhelming problems. Men who could stand and chase predators away to enhance the safety of their people, withstand the brutal hands of inhospitable weather to provide for their families, or stand at war fronts to repel expansionists who wanted to appropriate their lands and legacy were once celebrated as heroes and heroines. However, this meaning is not all-encompassing.

Today, heroism is recognized through various activities and engagements linked to individuals and communities. People who have the resilience to resist making rash decisions and taking actions that could lead to confrontations and hostility, especially against the same individuals who have done so impulsively in the past, are regarded as heroes in any sense of the word. This is usually because, in the context of war, merciful people are considered weaklings, and their compassion can be exploited by ruthless opponents who would not hesitate before wreaking maximum havoc on them.

Conversely, people who refuse to be vengeful are considered heroes because underneath their desire to be liberal and accommodating lie conflicting thoughts that challenge their moral identity. Despite how their emotions want to get the best of them, they maintain an outward calm, driven by the need to protect the human family, regardless of race and cultural ideologies. As a result, they are quick to embrace dialogue, promote tolerance, and give peace a chance so that they can continue to enjoy peaceful coexistence with others and allow things to take their natural course. As Thabo Mbeki once remarked, Africans have produced such heroes in their distant history and their proximal past–people who gave humanity a chance.

Europeans undoubtedly harbored an expansionist agenda that they initially hid under the guise of exploring the world around them. In their narratives, they have continued to claim that they were captivated by the world’s vast geography and only wanted to explore the expanse of land of the living until their curiosity was satisfied. They stated that they simply wanted to know more about the environment in which they are circumscribed. While this is not impossible, it is also not mutually exclusive that they tried to take advantage of everything they encountered during their exploration.

The urge to explore is natural for humans and even animals, but what is not particularly natural is subjecting others to excruciating anomalies to satisfy one’s provincial dreams. As such, when European explorers arrived on African shores over 400 years ago, the instinctive response of Africans was to welcome them, not to feast on them, as some Western narratives implied. Such narratives include Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, where, in his imagination, Africans were considered cannibals. This led to his description of Friday in the book as savagery and crude. However, the majority of Africans were not hostile to Europeans who came to their territory because they recognized that discrimination based on racial configuration was the crudest way to show one’s savagery inclinations.

According to Mbeki, the Africans of the period celebrated diversity, embraced multiculturalism, promoted inclusivity, and accommodated differences. This explains why they did not react with hostility toward European explorers who surfaced in their environment. Instead, they cared for shipwrecked sailors who had lost their way and gave them the necessary attention befitting of every individual. Through their actions, the Africans demonstrated that all humans, regardless of their racial origin and ethnic identity, should be given the opportunity to participate in society’s affairs.

For Africans, heroism was not just about the number of enemies one could kill in war but also about the ability to accommodate diverse voices and envision a shared future. Where necessary, the Africans acknowledged the limitations of their knowledge and allowed other viewpoints so that they could examine things together and come up with profound solutions. They welcomed the Europeans and did that with good intentions, never imagining that their openness to strangers could eventually lead to their subjugation and the potential collapse of their civilization.

Despite the consequences of opening their land to strangers, the Africans remained true to their philosophy, upholding their principles and ideological beliefs. Some assumed that their willingness to accommodate the Europeans was a sign of weakness, a perception that their guests exploited. This exploitation eventually fueled resentment, leading to the rise of apartheid and totalitarian regimes.

Thabo Mbeki recognizes Isithwalandwe Walter Sisulu for his embodiment of the Ubuntu philosophy, especially after the latter had experienced unimaginable challenges occasioned by the maltreatment of himself and his people. Mbeki unequivocally emphasizes that the principles adopted by precolonial South African society have had a tremendous impact on their collective identity. In the past, it was strange to an average African family that another family would go hungry because they did not have food resources. Rather than watch that happen, they would provide them with cattle for milking, ensuring that the other family could fend for themselves.

Such philosophy differs significantly from the Eurocentric understanding of socialism. While it reflects the ethos of socialism, it does not encourage laziness, as it pushes the beneficiaries to work and earn their living while extending a hand of friendship. This is what defines the South African people, much like other Africans, and is shown in their active participation in their neighbor’s wellbeing. Thus, the Europeans found it surprising that Africans did not show any signs of the devaluation of human integrity before their ascension. Africans did not beg for food, nor did they trade their good names in exchange for what to eat.

Mbeki reckons that this ethos has become entrenched in their collective identity, which explains why they are not destructive even in victory. They have accepted the reality that controversy is inevitable among the human family, and, as a superior animal, they understand the importance of coming to the table to negotiate. They believe that dialogue is always an effective tool for renegotiation and a means to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. Undeniably, this philosophy has played a crucial role in preserving South Africa’s good history in recent times.

Despite the ceaseless hassles faced in the past, Africans are driven by a commitment to embrace peace and stability. Even after enduring centuries of exploitation and predatory actions from the colonizers, they remained calm and collected, even in the face of provocative contempt. They have been able to attain such heights because their heroes and heroines have realized that hostility does not yield long-term benefits or bring about lasting serenity.

PS: This is a 12-part series based on the collections edited by Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu, titled ANC Today Letters: The Ideas and Thoughts of President Thabo Mbeki, Volume 1, 2001-2004, supplemented by materials in the Thabo Mbeki Museum, UNISA, Pretoria. The series is composed over five weeks in three different countries. The museum’s resources, digitized under 27 categories, can generate over 200 books.

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Opinion

Professor Fallou Ngom And The Successful Ajami Projects

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Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon
Prof. Toyin Falola

By Toyin Falola

It is a pleasure to witness the fruits of the long labor of Professor Ngom and his fellow researchers, recently released in three volumes, African Ajami Readers, covering Wolof, Mandinka, and Hausa (https://sites.bu.edu/ria/). Professor Ngom and I have discussed this project for nearly twenty years, even sharing updates about his travels to Senegal, Casamance, and Guinea. I congratulate Professor Ngom, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Jennifer Yanco, and Elhadji Dibril Diagne. I will surely put the volumes to good use. Based on his Ajami research, we invited him to the University of Texas to speak, and he also enlightened the public about it at Lagos State University and Adeyemi College of Education.

In recent times, African studies and history have been subjects that have pounded into the consciousness of different scholars across the globe, occasioned by the laurels and accolades that African writers have gotten. These writers have not only written on discourses to express their thoughts, but they have done so in consonance with African culture and identity. Wherever there is an African thought, concept, or philosophy, we are sure to find an African identity. It is one thing to create awareness and a different ball game to sustain such awareness such that it promulgates a new order whereby African studies are elevated to the highest echelon of academia. It would be very untruthful not to concede that African studies have suffered relegation; for one, the diversity within African culture makes it somewhat arduous to conceptualize some of the discourses. Also, the infusion of colonial narratives has, in some ways, diluted African instinctual cultures.

Prof. Fallou Ngom

As scholars, we recognize our role in the decolonization of Africa, and it is not solely the responsibility of the government and its parastatals to wage this war. To this end, it is crucial to proliferate African studies in some undiluted forms. The Ajami text presents a unique opportunity to achieve this. Utilizing Ajami sources can galvanize efforts to energize African studies. Ajami represents a process of linguistic adaptation, wherein the Arabic script is modified to write various non-Arabic languages. Its usage predates colonial rule and, as a result, colonial administrators familiarized themselves with Ajami and used it in their correspondence with local emirs. Ajami texts provide Indigenous narratives on culture, social life, politics, and more, which are often overlooked in colonial archives. Notably, Lord Lugard employed a similar strategy in his conquest mission of 1900. Realizing that Hausa was the dominant language, he sought to strengthen his grip on local rulers, particularly in Hausa communities. Therefore, Hausa was transcribed into Roman, and this Romanized Hausa was termed “Boko,” meaning Western education. This methodology allowed for effective communication between the colonizers and the Hausa subjects, similar to the use of Ajami texts.

Ajami texts encompass sociological, historical, and cultural knowledge largely unexplored by elite scholars writing in Arabic and European languages. These manuscripts cover diverse subjects, including science, philosophy, diplomacy, and literary works such as folktales and narratives. Additionally, the texts contain discussions on pharmacopeia and medical conditions like stomach ailments and rheumatism. Ajami serves as a medium for scholarship across all fields of intellectual inquiry. This raises a critical question: how come such a rich body of academic investigation exists, yet we suffer from a lack of information on African studies?

A significant disconnect exists in contemporary scholarship between Arabic scholars and their counterparts proficient in various African languages. Many scholars who specialize in Arabic are often not well-versed in the linguistic nuances of African languages, while those fluent in African languages often have little knowledge of Arabic. This linguistic divide poses a major challenge in studying a vast corpus of historical documents inscribed in modified Arabic scripts. These documents are essential to understanding the cultural and historical contexts of African societies; however, they remain primarily neglected and underexplored in archives scattered across the continent. As a result, the rich intellectual heritage encapsulated in these Ajami texts risks being overlooked. Nonetheless, it is a call for the academic exploration of these texts on a much broader scale.

It is commendable that the University of Boston has incorporated and sponsored research on Ajami texts. The team is led by the esteemed Professor Fallou Ngom, a key contributor to the study of Ajami texts in elucidating African history and culture. According to Ngom and his team, “This project aims to enhance the comprehension of Ajami literature in sub-Saharan Africa by conducting a comparative analysis of four prominent West African languages: Hausa, Mandinka, Fula, and Wolof.” The Ajami literary traditions of the Sahel offer valuable insights into the historical narratives and lived experiences of local populations. Although these systems emerged from a shared purpose of disseminating Islam, each Ajami framework has evolved along a distinct path, influenced by localized cultural, social, and political dynamics.

One of the stumbling blocks of African studies has been the enduring influence of colonial narratives. Decolonizing African studies as a discipline requires unearthing ancient landmarks of African identities that can offer an Afrocentric perspective of the discipline, hence the prominence surrounding Ajami texts. In retrospect, the proliferation of Islam in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, was successful. However, Arab Muslims still consider African Muslims inferior to them, a perception that has etched its way into politics, governance, and education, despite African countries’ independence from colonial fetters.

We would be simple-minded to say that the investigation of Ajami texts in varied concepts in the four languages is just a pedagogical and linguistic exercise. In reality, it spans far beyond that–it is an investigation into the history of language and culture, as well as the methods through which Islam meandered its way to non-Muslims on the continent and its widespread practices. This exercise would expunge the stigmatization that these regions face from colonial narratives, often drawing bias from the practice of religion. This alone is a victory for African studies, which has existed for some decades (post-World War II) but has faced literary challenges further exacerbated by neo-colonialism, globalization and cultural hegemony.

Over the years, another challenge of African studies is its reliance on European archives, which have always systematically presented narratives that would engender Eurocentric views even in African discourses. It should not come as a surprise that a system built in Europe would not sponsor African ideologies at the expense of European dogma and methodology, as everyone promotes their own.

Recordkeeping systems are inherently biased. These systems perpetuated a distorted portrayal of social order, one that colonial administrators used to maintain governance through violence and control. As representational frameworks, colonial archives reflected a particular culture and the infrastructures supporting it. Consequently, archival institutions played a crucial role in shaping the ideological frameworks of national histories and may have acted as active facilitators of colonial oppression.

Ajami manuscripts offer a valuable alternative by articulating indigenous perspectives on significant historical events, political systems, and social structures. These texts serve as vital records of oral traditions, local governance, and quotidian life in African societies, predating European colonial intervention. Much of the Ajami scholarship during colonial Africa comprised Arabic and Western scholars rather than African community members. However, after the demise of the colonial African state, there was a massive entry of African scholars into Ajami scholarship. This shift helped to refine the information in the Ajami archive, allowing us to truly understand the enormous impact and contributions of the Ajami archive in uncovering Afrocentric themes and ideologies and its preservation.

It is not enough to create a consciousness around a discourse that diminishes over time. A system that sponsors its sustenance and vetoes its eradication should be implemented. This is an opportunity for African scholarship to preserve the ordinances of African study and history through the Ajami archive. We are often guilty of delimiting African studies to history, literature, and language. History, however, presents a much more persuading narrative, noting that Egyptian medicine and innovation are the blueprints, or to be cosmopolitan, the patent through which most of the miracles of medicines and the wonders of engineering have been discovered.
The Ajami archives hold evidence supporting the above assertions. Texts on pharmacopeia, botany, and indigenous healing practices exemplify the extensive knowledge held by African communities regarding the medicinal properties of plants and their applications for ailments such as gastrointestinal disorders and rheumatism. These writings illuminate Africa’s rich tradition of scientific inquiry, contesting the prevailing notion that the continent’s scientific knowledge was exclusively imparted through colonial interventions.

Despite its value, Ajami texts may continue to be marginalized because of language limitations and inaccessibility. While efforts have been made to explore these texts in four languages, it is a humble submission that we employ more African scholarship to go beyond this milestone. With thousands of indigenous languages in Africa, exploring just four languages barely scratches the surface. Another perspective to this linguistic approach is preserving indigenous African languages, a fundamental aspect of African studies.

The digitization of the Ajami archive would help address its inaccessibility. The more proliferated the texts become, the more African scholarship can interface and interact with rich historical narratives. This would help bridge the lacuna and divide in African scholarship, moving away from the “hush-hush” topics on African studies, history, and progression.

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Opinion

Reading Femi Osofisan’s Well-languaged Mind (2)

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Readers’ Showers Of Encouragement
Prof. Tony Afejuku

By Tony Afejuku

Femi Osofisan may not share my contention or feeling in this wise – and I don’t expect him to, but let me add with some spectacular enthusiasm that I am delighted to write him unquestionably, but with modesty, into the canon of any of our currently living poets of his birth-age or of around his birth-age whose poetry flourishes as that of a predecessor and as that of a contemporary at the same time. How many of our critics will agree with me? And how many of our young or younger poets will be tempted to echo my perspective in terms of where specifically we can place Femi Osofisan or limit him to generation-wise?

A young – or a younger – Nigerian poet and scholar, Owojecho Omoha, who, among others, chooses to admire what I write and do, after reading the first part of the essay last week, sent me the following message (among other things he talked about): “Now, your apprehension, that is, your worries, where to place erudite Femi Osofisan. The apprehension leads nowhere, but here and now. Osofisan belongs to the fourth generation of Nigerian poets. Poetry is not the drama that he co-founded. TA, you were there before Osofisan, I was poetically born far back in 1988 with Ogaga Ifowodo, Uche Nduka, Olu Oguigbe and others, in Harry Garuba’s Voices From the Fringe. Generations are born; Osofisan’s poetic birth has just been announced.” Do I agree with this wholly smart young and younger poet and scholar of the University of Abuja that (among other observations of his) “Osofisan’s poetic birth has just been announced”? The answer is an obvious capital NO. Professor Osofisan’s Remember Tenderness and The Jeweller of the Night (Volume 1 and Volume 2), which, as already said, contain his old, selected, and new poems, are unquestionably collections of a well-languaged master, of a well-languaged high master, whose subjects defy – or are not limited to – generations. In any case, the selected poems – a good number of the selected poems – pre-dated several of Osofisan’s plays. His draw-back, so to say, I think, can be attributed –and I am attributing it – to the fact that Femi Osofisan gave thought to himself more as a playwright and dramatist than to himself as a poet – when he began his creative and writing career – who looked forward to artistic accomplishment. If his reputation did not soar as a poet, or if he did not carry himself as a poet, it was because he cared more for drama than for his own image or reputation as a poet. Maybe he was determinedly following the artistic footsteps of Wole Soyinka – his and our creative egbon for all seasons, and for all generations – as Achebe, and JP Clark also emerge in our bouncing imaginations. Thus I am leading myself to say that like Soyinka, specifically, Femi Osofisan, as a practitioner of poetry of all kinds – as I shall demonstrate when the inspiration descends on me shortly to look at some poems in the volumes, the outstandingly well-languaged poet maintains the pose of a contemporary humanist indignant at the follies of our age and clime. And “the follies of our age and clime” are the follies of our generation (and of those before ours).

Let me not give the impression that I am in absolute disagreement with Owojecho Omoha (and anyone who shares or may share his belief, grounds or no grounds). Let me also not give the impression that I am not in control of my thought – as per what I set out as my undertaking here – and as per the question I posed relating to the actual generation Femi Osofisan belongs to – or as we may apportion or appoint him – as a poet. What are the accurate generations of poetry in our clime and age? If, as Owojecho Omoha claims, we already have up to four generations (he claims our subject belongs to the fourth generation, as already alluded to above), what is the true or correct number of the generations of Nigerian poetry, given the fact that younger poets, many of them unknown, are still writing? More significantly, what is the span of years each generation covers – or seems to cover? Besides, I must note, strongly, that the birth-age of a poet should not be considered in any discussion or attempt to limit the work, especially the best work – even if it is a poem – of a/the poet to a particular generation. We should perhaps examine the flavours of the inspirations that led or gingered Osofisan and poets such as Niyi Osundare, Tanure Ojaide, Romanus Egudu, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ossie Onuora Enekwe, Odia Ofeimun, Ezenwa-Ohaeto, Olu Obafemi, Amatoritsero (Godwin) Ede, Abdul Rasheed Yesufu, Maik Nwosu, Yusuf Adamu, Mabel Evwierhoma, Akachi Ezeigbo, Amaechi Nicholas Akwanya, Owojecho Omoha, Kola Eke, Clement Eleghosa Odia and others – other gems of our creative literature, to write what they wrote – or have/had written in their early years or ages, and, as the case may be, towards their middle and old ages. In the context of my argument they definitely do not belong to the same age-bracket(s), but their respective pre-occupancies in varying degrees unite them – even though they do not employ the same style or technique or approach in their craft, or write/wrote with the same intensity, emotions and maturity – even as they wax/waxed elderly amid the throng of their creations.

What, however, distinguishes or disunites them ultimately as Nigerian poets of a particular or of the same generation, or, of different generations are their different notions of poetry or (of) their separate species of the school(s) of poetry whose doctrines or philosophies they espouse – or seem to espouse. (I may be contradicting myself, but my contradiction, if it is visibly visible, should be blamed on the poets’ peculiar thrushes – song thrushes).

With particular reference to Femi Osofisan to whom this essay is devoted, it is vital to remark, or, better, to ask, at this point in the essay: What school(s) of poetry is his? And what are his poetic doctrines, including his philosophy? And why is he really appealing to study as a poet? As this gleaner is gleaning from his Remember Tenderness and The Jeweller of the Night, Femi Osofisan writes or composes heterogeneous poetry as his thrush allows him. What does the gleaner mean in exact and precise terms? I must keep my readers in abeyance and suspense by quoting Owojecho Omoha again:

“Again, you beat me to being a gluer, a writer engagingly engaged in mentally dragging the reader so much that at a point, he/she fascinatingly accepts to being a captive. I mean that you theoretically captured me in this writing. Truly, and I mean every moment of my mental shift as a reader re-engaged me. I was enthralled. When I suddenly got to the end, I was saddened. The sadness! Nothing more to read other than the fading anthem: ‘Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.’

“The simulation and empathy co-existing with my imagination dragged me this far to behave like Oliver Twist. Being a gluer, TA, you played on me. You are a gluer of immense proportion.”

What a vitally vital composition that cannot (and could not) but enthuse the gleaner (and his un-alienated audience)!

To be continued.
Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.

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Opinion

Professor Bethwell Ogot, 1929-2025: A Pillar Of Nationalist Historiography

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Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon
Prof. Toyin Falola

By Toyin Falola

I went in search of Professor Ogot, as I looked for Professors Jacob Ade Ajayi and Adu Boahen. I traveled to Kenya and Ghana to meet both great men. I published the collected essays of the three of them with Africa World Press. With Atieno Odhiambo, I co-edited The Challenges of History and Leadership in Africa: The Essays of Bethwell Allan Ogot. We met several times—in France, the United States, Kenya, Tanzania, and in many unforgettable moments. I respected his elderly status, and I let him do the talking. In Houston, he was hosted by Rice University, and I drove down to have a moment with him. A great library, his store house of knowledge had depth and breath. Never a time would I be with Professor Maurice Amutabi that we will never talk about Professor Ogot and members of his generation. He survived them all. They are all gone, but the history of the moment remains with us.

Life’s deepest lessons often reveal themselves with time, as human nature inclines us to grow in knowledge and understanding as we age. One of these enduring truths is the inevitability of endings—no matter how deeply we cherish an idea, an individual, or an experience, everything must eventually come to an end. But instead of worrying ourselves sick over the inevitability of death, we should take lesson from the deeper philosophy underpinning this inevitable phenomenon: our time in this world is finite, and within that limited span, we must strive to leave a lasting impact. The human family is, therefore, expected to utilize their limited time to create maximum impact so that they would leave a mark after they have gone. Life continually reminds us that no matter how virtuous or accomplished we are, nature does not grant special exemptions. Mortality is an unyielding constant; we are all subject to its call. It is in this light that we reflect on the passing of Professor Bethwell Ogot, a renowned Kenyan and pioneer historian of Africa, who has now gone to join the ancestors. Upon a reflection on the life of this now fallen iconic figure, it is safe to say that he made irreplaceable marks in the history book.

It is on this note that I commiserate with the body of African intellectuals who would sorely feel the vacuum created by the exit of this outstanding individual in the African intellectual space. I extend my deepest sympathies to this body of scholars and thinkers who will feel the weight of his absence. Our grief is not merely personal but collective — borne not just of sorrow but of the awareness that the loss of such a major figure leaves a void in our shared pursuit of knowledge and progress, which will continue to be felt by us the living. Professor Ogot was not just a member of an African intellectual family but a revolutionary force.

Generally, scholars of African origin born during the heydays of colonialism were destined to make unique contributions—ones that many might not have fully grasped the consequences. They belonged to a generation that witnessed and endured the systematic dehumanization of both their identity and intellect. It was a time when they were forced to internalize foreign ideologies that stood in stark contradiction to their indigenous ways of knowing. As a result, they were exposed to dangerous and detrimental learning content, which ultimately stripped them of capacity for broad, independent reasoning. This reality or awareness reinforces a critical truth: colonized Africans could not expand their intellectual horizons solely through Western educational frameworks. The colonial system conditioned them to engage with knowledge from a singular, imposed perspective, limiting their ability to conceive ideas beyond that rigid structure.

Professor Ogot was born into this dehumanizing reality: when colonizers were actively expanding their reigns in Africa, consolidating their imperial status by taking charge of many African countries’ political and economic systems. Even when he had no idea that he would be a historian of international stature, he conformed himself and learned in different ways. Although the Western education system was enforced in the academic environment, those of his period also had the opportunities to learn from their parents and absorb knowledge preserved through generations or oral medium and transferred to them using the same platform. This became the foundation of their clear resolve against external aggressors. Armed with both intellectual depth and historical awareness, they stood as the defenders of African identity and autonomy against these external forces that sought to exploit them for material gain.

One of the first points of his campaign and advocacy for epistemic democracy is that African knowledge centers and Indigenous epistemologies should not be sacrificed on the altar of epistemic oppression because they were assumed to be inferior. He was one individual who mastered the art of knowledge transfer bequeathed to him through his lineage and other social agencies of socialization and knowledge exchange. Given his reality and background, Professor Ogot was not easily swayed by arguments that sought to delegitimize African ways of knowing.

Professor Ogot was one of the prominent African historians who amplified African historiography by stating that the universal pattern of handing down historical information contradicts and even undermines those available in their continent. This is underscored by the awareness that the assimilation of Western-derived history poses a very grave danger to the cognitive evolution of the colonized people. If anything, the amplification of European history in Africa and to Africans has the potential to erase all the great things that the African forebears have achieved. It cannot be overemphasized that Africans would benefit tremendously only when they use their history to build or develop their younger ones. The underlying reason for the projection of African historiography is that it would provide a more nuanced and balanced approach to the history available in Western-based schools. It did not take Ogot and scholars like him long to recognize that the relentless promotion of Western history was not merely an academic preference but a strategic tool for reshaping African minds in ways that served external interests.

After successfully making a case for African historiography, Professor Ogot exposed the underhanded consequences of colonialism and how that sacrilegious experience had contributed to the desecration of the African past and then the deceleration of African progress. If anything, Ogot ensured that the adverse problems associated with colonialism were highlighted in such a way that Africans, and potentially other ex-colonies, would understand the operations of colonial politics and how they would be used in the future for familiar reasons. Ogot stressed in many of his works that colonialism was a cancer to African economic development. This conclusion he arrived at following his realization that the extractive policies imposed on the African people were meant to sabotage their possibility of economic initiatives.

It is a well-known fact that when people are deprived of economic power, they often find themselves in a state of disarray, unable to make independent decisions or shape their destinies within their communities. It cannot be overlooked how the indiscriminate extraction of African natural resources contributed to reducing their economic opportunities and values, which ordinarily should be under their control. The devastation extended beyond just financial ruin; history has shown that when a people’s economic foundations are dismantled, their political systems inevitably become a target—often weakened and manipulated to the point of near irreparability. The erosion of economic autonomy, therefore, was not just an economic setback but a deliberate strategy to undermine Africa’s self-determination. In essence, Professor Ogot performed excellently in revealing the dangers of imperialists.

All these were done simultaneously so that he could make a profound mark in the intellectual community of the African people. No one familiar with Professor Ogot would disagree with the conclusion that he was dedicated and selfless, especially regarding issues that he considered essential. The problem of African identity and culture is a central theme in the writings of this once-in-a-lifetime intellectual. He advocated for a lifestyle of Africans that would principally elevate their original identity. He was a staunch believer in the philosophy that people exist and would continue to, only when they take the issue of their identity very seriously. Numerous lectures and countless publications credited to this precious mind are available today, where he projected the fundamentals of the African identity. He has always intoned that promoting such an idea would automatically yield the opportunity to make them popular or known in the general scheme of things. His intellectual productions revealed the African perspectives on general topics. He had a special preference for African culture and made no pretense about making local practices to be embraced across the continent. He was not merely an advocate of African heritage—he was a driving force behind its intellectual elevation. In countless ways, he and scholars like him positioned Africa on the global stage, affirming its relevance in the world of ideas and scholarship.

To a considerable extent, Professor Ogot was a staunch decolonial scholar who projected outstanding accomplishments of Africans in the past and the present, to ensure that Africa’s legacy was recognized and celebrated. While academics like him would have prioritized knowledge transfer as a means of intellectual empowerment, Professor Ogot did more than this. He was a mentor to many of us. If anything, he was able to show people ways to navigate the complexities of their existence and life, equipping them with insights to overcome the towering challenges imposed by history and circumstance. Across different African countries, one would find a handful of individuals who have directly or indirectly benefited from his mentorship—whether through personal interactions or by engaging with his work and ideas. Married and blessed with children and grandchildren, he can be said to have made a very profound impact in life because he provided opportunities for people to learn, grow, and leave their own indelible marks on the world. His life was not merely lived; it was purposefully dedicated to the intellectual and cultural empowerment of an entire continent. A giant tree has fallen, and we are grieving. History is grieving. African scholarship is grieving. Till we meet again, keep resting in the Luo soil, keep resting, my dear Professor Bethwell Ogot.

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