World mourns Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta
Foremost Nigerian writer, Buchi Emecheta, author of the book ‘The Joys of Motherhood’ and over 20 others passed on this Thursday January 26 in London at the age of 72.
Emecheta, who was born in Lagos in 1944, has been living in London since 1960, after her marriage at the age of 16 to Sylvester Onwordi.
Her novel, ‘Second Class Citizen’ would chronicle their difficult and often abusive marriage, which ended when she was aged 22.
She would then go on to work to support herself and her five children and grow into a champion of women causes, even though she rejected the term feminist on several occasions.
“I work toward the liberation of women, but I’m not feminist. I’m just a woman,” she once said.
She would however go on to describe her stories as “stories of the world… [where]… women face the universal problems of poverty and oppression, and the longer they stay, no matter where they have come from originally, the more the problems become identical.”
With over 20 books to her name, including plays and an autobiography, as well as children’s books, she had won a slew of awards culminating in an Order of the British Empire in 2005.
Despite her long association with the United Kingdom, where she had lived most of her life, Emecheta has remained true to her roots, saying, “I like to be called a Nigerian rather than somebody from the Third World or the developing or whatever.”
Her writing career was cut short however when in 2010 she suffered a stroke. She would devote the rest of her years working with her son in the publishing house, Ogwugwu Afor, which published her works. Awards and recognition
· BSc (Honours), University of London, 1972.
· New Statesman Jock Campbell Award for The Slave Girl, 1978.
· British Home Secretary’s Advisory Council on Race, 1979.
· Arts Council of Great Britain bursary, 1982-83.
· One of Grantas “Best of the Young British Novelists”, 1983. · PhD, University of London, 1991. · Order of the British Empire, 2005 · Who’s Who in Anioma, 2011 · Who’s Who in Ibusa, 2011 Works Novels · In the Ditch (London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1972).
· Second-Class Citizen (London: Allison & Busby, 1974; New York: Braziller, 1975).
· The Bride Price (London: Allison & Busby, 1976; New York: Braziller, 1976).
· The Slave Girl (London: Allison & Busby, 1977; New York: Braziller, 1977); winner of 1978 Jock Campbell Award.
· The Joys of Motherhood (London: Allison & Busby, 1979; Heinemann, African Writers Series No. 65, 1980; New York: Braziller, 1979).
· The Moonlight Bride (Oxford University Press, 1976).
· Our Own Freedom (photographs by Maggie Murray; London: Sheba, 1981).
· Destination Biafra (London: Allison & Busby, 1982).
· Naira Power (London: Macmillan, 1982); Pacesetter Novels series.
· Adah’s Story [In the Ditch/SecondClass Citizen] (London: Allison & Busby, 1983).
· The Rape of Shavi (London: Ogwugwu Afor, 1984; New York: Braziller, 1985).
· Double Yoke (New York: George Braziller, 1983).
· A Kind of Marriage (London: Macmillan, 1986); Pacesetter Novels series.
· Gwendolen (London: Collins, 1989). Published in the US as The Family (New York: Braziller, 1990).
· Kehinde (Heinemann, African Writers Series, 1994).
· The New Tribe (Heinemann, African Writers Series, 1999). Autobiography · Head Above Water (London: Fontana, 1986). Children’s/Young Adults · Titch the Cat, illustrated by Thomas Joseph (London: Allison & Busby, 1979). Based on a story by daughter Alice Emecheta.
· Nowhere to Play, illustrated by Peter Archer (London: Allison & Busby, 1980; New York: Schocken, 1980). Based on a story by daughter Christy Emecheta.
· The Wrestling Match (Oxford University Press, 1980; New York: Braziller, 1980). Plays · A Kind of Marriage, BBC television, 1976.
· Family Bargain, BBC television, 1987.