Udenta at 60, By Chuks Akamadu

By my estimation, Prof. Udenta O. Udenta is a phenomenon. Curiously, as a phenomenon, he is hardly stable – perhaps almost always mutating: it sure would be a very difficult task to have him housed in a particular habitat for, here is a man, born ordinarily terrestrial, but who can also comfortably dwell in a sky-high nest today and, with distinctive features of an aquatic creature, live restfully in the water tomorrow.

Put differently, Prof. Udenta’s inter-disciplinary trajectory, among other things, tells an enthralling story of man’s uncommon ability to be Jack of Many Trades and Master of All. As a scholar, he is unapologetically Marxist. As a politician, he was simply prodigious at the time he stormed Nigeria’s mainstream political firmament. His record as a pro-democracy activist is quite impressive – and can rightly be described in superlatives. As an intellectual and writer, he has greatly inspired and influenced both his generation and generations that are not his, in varying measures, though.

Man of many parts he is – yes, but for the purpose of this tribute, I shall restrict my discourse to my personal appreciation of Prof. Udenta as a senior colleague in the cultural industry.

In his book titled: Art, Society and Identity: Essays on African Literature, Prof. Udenta had, in a declarative tone, stated thus: “I have definitely come to a critical juncture in my evolution as an intellectual who is wholeheartedly committed to the growth and sustenance of the African literary process”. This public assertion of being wholeheartedly committed to the growth of and sustenance of the African literary process, of course brings him to the neighbourhood of illustrious scholars like Molefi Kete Asante, John Henrik Clarke and Cheikh Anta Diop who collectively shaped the theory of Afrocentrism.

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By the way, I have always flaunted my bragging right as a professor. Lon Fuller scholar simply because he defined “law” as a “purposive enterprise”. His definition makes loads of sense to me. In the same way, scholarship, cerebration, and cultural production should be purposive endeavours – the ultimate goal being the advancement of the cause of a people and their society.

It is within the foregoing context that I seek to celebrate Prof. Udenta as he steps into the sixth floor, for his immense contributions to the retrieval of Blackman’s destiny from the claws of vile Eurocentric narratives, through his avowed – and indeed demonstrable – commitment to “the growth and sustenance of the African literary process” as a counterpoise to the deliberate cultural erasure, historical distortions and intellectual dishonesty that Europe viciously unleashed on Africa – home and in the Diaspora.

It is heartening to note, at an auspicious occasion such as this, that Africa is blessed to have thinkers like Prof. Udenta, whose vast exploits in the global literary fraternity do not only dislodge entrenched Eurocentric falsehoods but also present counter-narratives that restore, in a functional sense, the true identity of Africa and her peoples. For me, this is patriotism and nationalism at their very finest, because quite frankly our salvation, as a race, rests squarely on the success of our collective journey to self-rediscovery and our ability to seize the ensuing moment for group assertion and enduring greatness.

In Effective Cultural Administration in Nigeria edited by Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, Muyiwa Awodiya had most instructively noted that “In Europe and America, art and culture continues to be one of the basic necessities of life, an integral part of their education and upbringing. To the people of these countries, art and culture are the essence of civilization and development.” Yet same people came to Africa and, as a matter of deliberate colonial policy, demonized our art and culture, questioned our being, ran a tar brush on our heritage and left us both spiritually faint and psychologically vanquished.

Lamentably, African leaders are yet to recognize culture, both in its material and non-material forms, as our sure path to socio-political and economic emancipation. Our consolation, however, is that the Udentas of the continent have since picked up the gauntlet and are not looking back. Yes, hard as you may try, you cannot beat Prof. Udenta’s special offering to the black race as he turns 60 on September 5, 2023; which is the unveiling of 21 impactful books authored by him! Huge!! Unprecedented!!!

Those books, for all intents and purposes, were conceived to take African cultural production and knowledge base a notch higher, further enrich African literature, and accelerate the process of holistic recovery of brutally abused people. And it is in view of this that Prof. Udenta’s intellection can, therefore, be said to be impactful both in theory and praxis.

At 60, Prof. Udenta stands out from his peers in the cultural sector. I am a witness. His footprints are deep whilst his footfalls are loud. My personal interactions with him usually leave me with hope that a free and prosperous Africa is a realizable project. Prof. Udenta is as erudite as he is pragmatic. We have in him a man who can do more – indeed much more. We also have in him a willing teacher who finds pleasure in mentoring younger cultural workers and scholars – this he does so admirably and with amazing ease. What we don’t have is a society that neither recognizes genius where it exists nor places a high premium on its optimal exploitation.

As Prof. Udenta marks his diamond jubilee, I wish to thank him for all he’s done and currently doing for humanity, particularly Africa. I also wish to urge him never to rest on his oars. With his hands and those of his ilk on the plough, Africa is without doubt on her road to rediscovery. Ours, as scholars, is a responsibility we cannot afford to shirk…and posterity beckons!

However, I do not imagine it’s going to be “walk in a park’ – it couldn’t possibly be because like Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum observed in his book, My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence, “with each new day in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing he must outrun the fastest lion or perish. At the same time, a lion stirs and stretches, knowing he must outrun the fastest gazelle or starve. It is no different for the human race. Whether you consider yourself a gazelle or a lion, you simply have to run faster than others to survive.” This is the gory but true picture of the nature of our universe. So run, we must – and lead, the Udentas must.

It is on this note that I wish to respectfully invite all African cultural scholars, workers and enthusiasts as well as well-meaning peoples of African descent the world over to join me in celebrating one of Africa’s most renowned cultural icons of all times and an egghead of note, Prof. Udenta O. Udenta, as he hits the three-score mark. Sixty hearty cheers to you, Prof!

● Chuks Akamadu, M.IoD, is the Managing Director, Afrocultour Limited.