Ghanaian poet Awoonor killed in Nairobi shooting
Ghanaian poet and diplomat Professor Kofi Awoonor was among the victims killed in Saturday’s shooting at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to UK’s, The Telegraph and the Guardian, the poet died later at the hospital after sustaining injuries during the attack. The Telegraph reported that 78-year-old writer went to the mall for shopping with his son and the son was shot on the shoulder. The son was treated and discharged from the hospital the same day.
Awoonor was in Nairobi to speak at the Storymoja Hay Festival, a four-day celebration of writing, thinking and storytelling. Alongside other Ghanaian poets Nii Parkes and Kwame Dawes, Awoonor was due to perform on the evening of the shooting as part of a showcase of award-winning poetry from Africa.
The Telegraph
reported that during the poetry master class that Awoonor held at the festival, the deceased discussed mortality and at one point mentioned that he was unafraid of death.
Awoonor, once Ghana’s ambassador to the United Nations, became known for his poetry with his early collections which were inspired by the dirge singing and oral poetry of his native Ewe tribe. He published his first collection, Rediscovery and other Poems in 1964.
His second collection of poems, Night of My Blood, was released in 1971.This carries series of poems that explore Awoonor’s roots and the impact of colonialism and foreign rule in Africa.
The shooting which Somali militant group, Al-Shabab has claimed
responsibility has killed 69 people and left over 100 injured.
