R. A. Awoonor-Williams

R. A. Awoonor-Williams

nnipa

bɔbeasu	male
ɔman a ofiri mu	Ghana
din a wɔde ama no	R., A., Francis
abusua din	Awoonor, Williams
da a wɔwoo no	unknown value
da a owui	unknown value
languages spoken, written or signed	Brɔfo
n'adwuma	Amanyɔni, jurist

R.A. Kofi Awoonor-Williams ( Ne din ankasa ne George Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor-Williams; wɔwoo 13 Ɔbɛnem 1935 – na ɔwuiɛ wɔ 21 September 2013) yɛ Ghana anwensɛm kyerɛwfo ne ɔkyerɛwfo a n’adwuma kaa ne kurom Ewefo anwensɛm atetesɛm ne nnɛyi ne nyamesom agyiraehyɛde boom de yɛɛ Afrika ho mfonini wɔ decolonization bere mu. Ɔhyɛɛ aseɛ kyerɛw wɔ din George Awoonor-Williams, na wɔsan tintim no sɛ Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor. Ɔkyerɛɛ Afrika nwoma wɔ Ghana Suapɔn mu. Ɔbenfoɔ Awoonor ka wɔn a wɔkumm wɔn wɔ September 2013 ntua a ɛkɔɔ so wɔ Westgate aguadidan mu wɔ Nairobi, Kenya, baabi a na ɔyɛ obi a ɔde ne ho hyɛɛ Storymoja Hay Afahyɛ no ase no ho.

Ɔbra Ahyɛaseɛ ne Nwomasua

Wɔwoo George Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor-Williams wɔ Wheta,[5] wɔ Volta mantam a ɛwɔ baabi a saa bere no na wɔfrɛ no Gold Coast, ɛnnɛ Ghana. Na ɔyɛ mmofra 10 a wɔwɔ abusua no mu no mu panyin.[6] Na ɔyɛ Awoonor-Williams abusua a wofi Sierra Leone Creole abusua mu no agya aseni. Ɔsuaa adeɛ wɔ Achimota Sukuu mu na afei ɔkɔɔ Ghana Suapɔn mu, na ɔwiee sukuu wɔ afe 1960 mu.[7] Bere a ɔwɔ sukuupɔn mu no ɔkyerɛw n’anwensɛm nhoma a edi kan, Rediscovery, a wotintimii wɔ afe 1964. Te sɛ n’adwuma a aka no, Rediscovery gyina Afrikafo anwensɛm a wɔde ano ka so. Ne kurom hɔ Ewefo nnwom ne nkyekyem na ɛkanyan ne mfitiase nnwuma,[3] na akyiri yi otintim Ewefo awerɛhow nnwontofo baasa adwuma nkyerɛase ahorow (Guardians of the Sacred Word: Ewe Poetry, 1973).[8]

Bere a Awoonor wiee sukuu no, ɔyɛɛ adwuma wɔ Ghana Film Corporation, ansa na ɔrebɛyɛ ne sohwɛfo bere tenten, na ɔboa ma wɔhyehyɛɛ Ghana Playhouse, na ɔkɔɔ so dii dwuma titiriw wɔ agodie ne drama nkɔso mu wɔ ɔman no mu.[5] Wɔ 1960 mfeɛ no mu no, ɔhwɛɛ nwoma nsɛmma nwoma Okyeame so na na ɔyɛ Transition Magazine samufoɔ boafoɔ.[7][9]

Na ɔyɛ Ghana ɔmanpanyin, anwensɛm kyerɛwfo, nhoma ho ɔkasatiafo, ne nhoma ntotoho ho ɔbenfo nso. Awoonor nyaa B.A wɔ University College of Ghana.[10]

Ɔsuaa nwoma wɔ University College London (M.A., 1970),[7] na berɛ a na ɔwɔ England no ɔkyerɛw radio so agodie ahodoɔ bi maa BBC, na ɔfirii aseɛ de edin Kofi Awoonor dii dwuma.[11]

N'adwumayɛ

Ɔdii 1970 mfeɛ no mfitiaseɛ wɔ Amerika, suaa adeɛ na ɔkyerɛɛ adeɛ wɔ Stony Brook Suapɔn (saa berɛ no na wɔfrɛ no SUNY wɔ Stony Brook) baabi a ɔnyaa ne Phd wɔ afe 1972 mu.[12] Bere a ɔwɔ United States no ɔkyerɛw This Earth, My Brother ne Night of My Blood, nhoma abien no nyinaa a wotintimii wɔ 1971 mu.

Awoonor san baa Ghana wɔ afe 1975 mu sɛ Engiresi kasa dwumadibea panyin wɔ Cape Coast Sukuupɔn mu. Wɔ asram kakraa bi mu no, wɔkyeree no sɛ ɔboaa ɔsraani bi a wɔbɔɔ no sobo sɛ ɔrebɔ mmɔden sɛ obetu asraafo nniso no agu, na wɔde no too afiase a wɔanni n’asɛm; Akyiri yi wogyaee Awoonor bere a wogyaee n’afiasenna wɔ October 1976 mu.[7] The House by the Sea (1978) no fa bere a na ɔwɔ afiase no ho. Bere a wɔde no too afiase akyi no, ɔbɛyɛɛ obi a ɔyɛ amammuisɛm. Ɔkɔɔ so kyerɛw nsɛm a ɛnyɛ ayɛsɛm dodow no ara.[13]

Awoonor anwensɛm a edi kan no fɛm Ewefo atetesɛm a wɔde ano ka, na na ne nanabea yɛ Ewefo awerɛhow odwontofo. Wɔ ne nhoma a ɛkasa tia Guardians of the Sacred Word and Ewe Poetry mu no, ɔkyerɛɛ Ewefo anwensɛm ase wɔ nkyerɛase mu (1974). Asase Nufu: Afrika Abakɔsɛm, Amammerɛ, ne Nhoma Ho Adesua wɔ Sahara Anafo fam yɛ nhoma foforo a wɔde kasa tia (1975).[10]

Awoonor yɛ Ghana ɔnanmusifoɔ wɔ Brazil firi afe 1984 kɔsi afe 1988, ansa na ɔresom sɛ ne man ananmusifoɔ wɔ Cuba.[7] Efi afe 1990 kosi afe 1994 no na Awoonor yɛ Ghana Daa Ananmusifo wɔ Amanaman Nkabom no mu,[14] na odii boayikuw a wɔko tia nnipa mu nyiyim no anim.[15] Ɔsan nso yɛ kan Ɔman Bagua no Titenani,[16] a ɛyɛ Ghana ɔmampanyin afotuo titire, na ɔsom wɔ saa dibea no mu firi afe 2009 kɔsii Ɔpɛpɔn 2013.[5]

Ne wuo

Wɔ 21 September 2013 no, na Awoonor ka wɔn a wokunkum wɔn wɔ ntua a ɛkɔɔ so wɔ Westgate aguadidan mu wɔ Nairobi no ho. Na ɔwɔ Kenya sɛ obi a ɔde ne ho hyɛɛ Storymoja Hay Afahyɛ, nnanan afahyɛ a ɛfa akyerɛw, nsusuwii ne abakɔsɛm a wɔka ho, a na ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ne dwumadi wɔ ne wu anwummere no mu. Ne nua barima Nii Parkes a na ɔrekɔ nhoma afahyɛ koro no ara ase no akyerɛw afa nea edi kan a ohyiaa no saa da no ho.[17] Ghana aban no sii Awoonor wuo no so dua da a edi hɔ no. Wɔtoo ne babarima Afetsi Awoonor a na ɔka ne ho no nso tuo, nanso akyiri yi woyii no fii ayaresabea.[3]

Wɔde Awoonor amu no fii Nairobi kɔɔ Accra, Ghana, wɔ 25 September 2013.[18]

Wɔhyew ne funu na wosiee no wɔ beae pɔtee bi wɔ ne kurom wɔ Wheta wɔ Volta Mantam mu. Afei nso na osu anaa awerɛhow biara nni n’ayi ase ne nyinaa sɛnea n’apɛde te ansa na owu.[1]

Ne nsa ano Nwuma ahodoɔ

Awonsɛm

• Rediscovery and Other Poems (Mbari Publications, na wɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe 1964)
• Night of My Blood (Doubleday, ɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe 1971) – anwensɛm a ɛhwehwɛ Awoonor ntininkyiri anaa baabi a ɔfiri mu, ne nkɛntɛnsoɔ a amannɔne nnisoɔ nyae wɔ Afrika
• Ride Me, Memory (ɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe1973)
• The House by the Sea (Greenfield Review Press, na wɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe 1978)
• Until the Morning After: Selected Poems, 1963–85 (Greenfield Review Press, na wɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe 1987)
• The Promise of Hope: New and Selected Poems, 1964–2013 (Amalion / University of Nebraska Press, na wɔtwerɛeɛ wɔ afe 2014)

Ayɛsɛm nwoma ahodoɔ

• This Earth, My Brother (Doubleday, 1971) – a cross between a novel and a poem
• Comes the Voyager at Last: A Tale of Return to Africa (Africa World Press, 1992)

Ayɛsɛm a ɛsɛ nokware

• The Breast of the Earth: A Survey of the History, Culture, and Literature of Africa South of the Sahara (Anchor Press, 1975; ISBN 0-385-07053-5)
• The Ghana Revolution: Background Account from a Personal Perspective (1984)
• Ghana: A Political History from Pre-European to Modern Times (Sedco, 1990)
• Africa: The Marginalized Continent (1994)
• The African Predicament: Collected Essays (Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2006; ISBN 9789988550820)

Ne dwumadieSɛ́ samufoɔ anaa nsɛm asekyerɛfoɔ

• Messages: Poems From Ghana (1971). Eds. Kofi Awoonor & G. Adali-Mortty.
• Guardians of the Sacred Word: Ewe Poetry (1974). Trans. Kofi Awoonor.

Awonsɛm

• The Cathedral
• The Weaver Bird
• Across a New Dawn
• A Call
• On the Gallows Once
• Lament of the Silent Sister
• Had Death Not Had Me in Tears
• Songs of Sorrow
• First Circle
• A Death Foretold

Ne nnwuma ho nteaseɛ ne nkyerɛaseɛ

Wɔkyerɛ sɛ Awoonor kyerɛw n’anwensɛm dodow bi te sɛ nea ɔreyɛ n’ankasa owu ho mfonini wɔ n’adwenem. Nanso ɔyɛ ɔkyerɛwfo soronko na ɔyɛ soronko, obi a ɔbɔ mmɔden, ɛkame ayɛ sɛ ɔyɛ den dodo, sɛ ɔde ne nananom ne n’amammerɛ bɛba n’anwensɛm mu, na ɛtɔ mmere bi mpo a ɔfɛm nsɛmfua fi mpɔtam hɔ Ewe kasa mu. Esiane sɛ na ɔyɛ obi a ɔyɛ den na n’ani gye atetesɛm som ho nti, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ na ɔyɛ obi a ɔyɛ nkaefo.

Titiriw wɔ obi a osua nhoma kɛse saa fam no, na ɛyɛ adeyɛ a ɛntaa nsi mpo. Saa nimdeɛ no, ɛnyɛ sɛ na ɔyɛ nkae nhwɛsode sɛ ankorankoro nko, na mmom sɛ amammerɛ no nyinaa rehu amane wɔ entropy ho no, betumi nam n’anwensɛm ahorow so aba wɔ ɔkwan bi so a mfiase no ɛbɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔrekyerɛw ne wu awiei ho asɛm. Sɛ ankorankoro ne amammerɛ mu kwadwom no da nkyɛn a, Awoonor nso de anifere kasa tiaa nea anka obebu no sɛ Atɔe Famfo nkɛntɛnso ahorow (nyamesom ahorow, asetra mu nhyehyɛe ne sikasɛm mu nyansapɛ) a asɛe wɔ Afrikafo nyinaa abakɔsɛm ne wɔn ahonyade ho no. Na ɔbɛkasa atia anigye a wonsusuw ho a Afrikafo ankasa de gyee nneɛma a ɛtete saa toom no, na ɔde nkakrankakra yɛɛ nea anka obebu no sɛ ɛyɛ ne ho a wɔsɛe no a ɛkɔ akyiri koraa sen amammerɛ mu nipasu a wɔhwere no. Na ɔtaa yɛ ne nkyerɛwee ahorow no de hwɛ saa nneɛma yi denam n’ankasa Ewefo amammerɛ ahwehwɛ so.