Goodnight Hyacinth Obunseh, the ‘warrior of letters’

Writer, published and astute literary activist, Hyacinth Obunseh succumbed to the ultimate terminator after a prolonged bout of illness that ate off his resourceful and promising life as literary artist. His friends, comrades and associates in the literary vocation have since taken to their various social media pages to pay tribute to a truly committed literary administrator, and staunch builder of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA.

NaijaTimes has compiled some of these tributes…

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‘We’ve lost a vibrant, dynamic and excellent literary administrator’ – ANA

CAMILLUS Ukah, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has expressed deep sorrow over the death of the former National Secretary of the Association, Hyacinth Obunseh, saying that ANA has lost a very vibrant, dynamic and excellent literary administrator.

Obunseh, the CEO of Hybun Publishers, was ANA secretary between 2009 and 2011, having served in the association in various capacities before then.

A statement signed by the Association’s PRO North,Umar Yogiza Jr., described Obunseh’s death as devastating and unfortunate.

Condoling with Obunseh’s family, friends and colleagues, ANA President, Camillus Ukah described Obunseh’s death as a huge loss to ANA given his steadfastness, devoted contributions, and zeal in fighting for the unity, stability, and development of ANA in recent years.

ANA President prayed to God to forgive the deceased his sins and other shortcomings and rest him in paradise, as well as give the bereaved the fortitude to bear the loss. He also urged them to take solace in the fact that all living souls must taste death, regardless of the years of existence.

In further extolling the virtues of the late Hyacinth Obunseh, ANA President urged ANA members to borrow a leaf from the late former ANA scribe by showing total love and commitment to their professional calling and the apex body of writers in the country.

Also, the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria has commiserated with ANA over Obunseh’s death.

The Network in a statement by its President, Richard Mammah who was also a classmate of the deceased at the Government College Ughelli described Obunseh’s death as a rude shock and also prayed to God to forgive him his sins and other shortcomings and rest him in paradise.

— Wole Adedoyin, ANA PRO South

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Adieu, ‘stickler to the truth of things’

By Denja Abdullahi

ADIEU Hyacinth Dada Obunseh, kindred spirit,co- traveller in the realm of the “guardians of the words,” maverick publisher and announcer of uncanny literary talents, astute literary administrator , stickler to the truth of things, lover of gaiety and a loyal friend. Your race terminated here but you left your indelible imprints. Rest in Peace.

*Abdullahi, writer, culture administrator, former president of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA

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‘Journey well, son of Oko-Ogbele!’

By Odili Tony Ujubuonu

I MET Hyacinth Obunseh a few weeks after the publication of my debut novel, “Pregnancy of the Gods,” in April, 2006. I was there to submit the book for the ANA prize. I didn’t know anything about him or much about ANA before that Thursday evening. I would later learn, when we met at that year’s ANA Convention in Bayelsa, he was the publisher of the Hybun imprint and the then Publicity Secretary for ANA.

Hyacinth and I became friends.

Through him I met most of the wonderful friends I have today within the Nigerian literary circle across the country. We stayed close to each other at most of the conventions I attended where he introduced me to writers and scholars. He was a recognisable and welcomed face to my colleagues in the office and my family members at home. Such was the nature of our relationship that we called each other “Nwa Mama.”

The period he shared ANA’s office space, at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu is unforgettable. He was the de facto welcoming hand of the gathering of literary journalists and writers within the surroundings of the ‘Samarkand Tree’. The friendships, criticisms, literary banters and quarrels that feted those evenings and weekends are stories for another day. I suspect that the seeming death of the National Theatre bars as writers’ afterhours – rendezvous might not be entirely unconnected to his eventual relocation to Abuja.

In 2008, ANA through him and Denja (Abdullahi), invited us to design and package the 50th Anniversary celebration of the book, “Things Fall Apart.” It was a book trek design that would take us around five states of the federation. This enjoyed a worldwide media blitz for the book, the great author and for ANA, an organisation founded by Chinua Achebe. Having worked closely with him, I can testify that Hyacinth was at the centre of the success of that project

Privately, we were good friends. We worked together and played together. I was hard on him where I found him weak and he didn’t spare me either. We disagreed on a lot of things for we were products of different histories and values. Like the Igbos would say, it is understanding that makes canines play with their teeth and not hurt each other. Many of my friends and writer colleagues couldn’t fathom how we were best of friends. I always quipped that they didn’t know Hyacinth.

Hyacinth was a strong man, who hardly bent to the pressure of opinions when he’s convinced otherwise. Even his worst enemies would attest to how passionate he was with his beliefs and how battle-ready he always was to defend them. Sometimes, taking the lethal bullet of ignominy yet moving on like the one described by the British rock singer, Sting as “It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile.”

Unarguably, Hyacinth fueled his belief in ANA and it’s survival as a writer’s organisation with a filial intensity that dispensed suspicion. But that was the price he had to pay for doing what he loved doing and the manner he went about it.

At the last ANA Convention in Ilorin, It was obvious our friend was going. Seeing how weak and sick he was, I asked him more than a dozen times, why he had to be at the convention. He didn’t answer me. Instead, with frail hands on tether-hooks of a waning life, raspy voice and failing eyes, in-between spasms of chest-searing coughs, Hyacinth wanted to discuss ANA 40th Anniversary celebration. I was cross with him, asking him to do something about his health which was obviously failing before it became too late.

If there was a dent on the glorious moment of that occasion in Ilorin, it was Hyacinth’s condition. James Eze, Edozie Udeze and I talked about it for hours driving back to Awka after the convention. I followed up weeks after but with Hyacinth you’d only know if you’re close by.

Hyacinth probably lived this long, after his first battle with this same terminal illness that walked him home, because of his love and passion for ANA which was going through a turbulent period at that time of his bed status. He loved and lived for this organisation.

Hyacinth tied and broke many lasting bonds of friendship in ANA. He was not a perfect man, ANA is also not a perfect organisation and we the writers that make it up are no where near perfect. I think his “perfect imperfections” should guide us to a better understanding of ourselves as we live today to mourn him, and rebuild a united organisation in his memory. He’s gone with his strengths and weaknesses but can the story of modern ANA be fairly told without his name in it? No.

Journey well, son of Oko-Ogbele! See you on the other side whenever, where the great river and dialects don’t divide our shared tongue, memories, friendship, fraternity and life.

*Ujubuonu is a writer and media executive in Lagos

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‘His resilience at the time is part of the greatness Nigeria’s literary scene is being built on’

By Ayo Arigbabu

HYACINTH Obunseh’s Hybun Publishing was one of the imprints giving voice to writers in Nigeria’s literary scene at a time when the scene had active voices but few publishers and the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) of which he was once Secretary General, was almost the only oasis for writers, providing a platform for congregation and fellowship, especially during the troubling and demoralising era of military rule.

Many friendships and relationships persist amongst writers now dispersed across the globe, from the bonding the platform enabled. This was before the time of social media and Obunseh’s contributions to the community must have come at great personal cost. His resilience at the time is part of the greatness Nigeria’s literary scene is being built on.

May he journey well, and may his family be comforted.

*Arigbabu, Architect, writer and literary activist, is publisher DaDa Books