Obi Benue Egbuna (18 July 1938 – 18 January 2014) was a
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n-born novelist, playwright and political activist known for leading the Universal Coloured People's Association (UCPA) and being a member of the British Black Panther Movement (1968–72) during the years when he lived in England, between 1961 and 1973. Egbuna published several texts on Marxist– Black Power, including ''Destroy This Temple: The Voice of Black Power in Britain'' (1971) and ''The ABC of Black Power Thought'' (1973).
Biography
Early years and education
Egbuna was born in
Ozubulu
Ozubulu is a larger town in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Ekwusigo Local Government Area.
The town has an official Post Office. Its neighbouring towns are Nnewi, Ukpor, Ihembosi, Okija
Okija is the largest town in Ih ...
,
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...
, Nigeria. He studied at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
and
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
,
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, moving in 1961 to England, where he lived until 1973.
Political activism in Britain
In London, Egbuna was a member of a group called the Committee of African Organisations that had roots in the
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...
's 1965 visit to Britain. Egbuna participated in events organized by the
Caribbean Artists Movement The Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM) was an influential cultural initiative, begun in London, England, in 1966 and active until about 1972,"Homicidal Melancholics of the World Unite!" ''Mute''. and in 1966 his play ''Wind Versus Polygamy'' was performed at the
World Festival of Negro Arts
The World Festival of Black Arts (French: Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres), also known as FESMAN, is a month-long culture and arts festival that takes place in Africa. The festival features poetry, sculpture, painting, music, cinema, theatre, f ...
in
Dakar, Senegal
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
, where the Pan African Players and the
Negro Theatre Workshop
The Negro Theatre Workshop (NTW) was set up in London, England, in 1961, becoming one of the first Black British theatre companies. It aimed to produce dramas, revues and musicals, giving writers a chance to see their work performed as well as cre ...
(founded in London by Pearl Connor) represented the United Kingdom. He became a pioneer of the Black Power movement in Britain, forming the Universal Coloured People's Association (UCPA) – "the first avowed Black Power group in Britain in August 1967, following
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the Unite ...
's visit" – and speaking at a major anti-
Vietnam war
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
rally in October that year. Egbuna also participated in the Antiuniversity of London.
In August 2020, Egbuna's son, Obi Egbuna Jr, spoke candidly to Bryan Knight's ''Tell A Friend'' podcast about his father's political activism and the fight against racism in the Britain of the 1960 and 1970s.
Being heavily influenced by
Marxism
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...
, Egbuna stressed the importance of an international struggle against capitalism, as a part of the global struggle against racial oppression. In a speech from 1967 at
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...
, London, Egbuna stated: "Black Power means simply that the blacks of this world are out to liquidate capitalist oppression of black people wherever it exists by any means necessary."Sivanandan, A., ''A Different Hunger – Writings on Black Resistance'', London: Pluto Press (1982), p. 21. On 10 November 1967, he launched the ''Black Power Manifesto'', published by the Universal Coloured People's Association. As spokesperson for the group, he claimed they had recruited 778 members in London during the previous seven weeks. In 1968 Egbuna published a pamphlet entitled ''Black Power or Death''.
Egbuna also saw the socialist and communist student movements of the 1960s as problematic to the Black Power cause. Although ideologically rooted in a similar Marxist intellectual tradition, he saw the student organisations as "socialist snobs" who decree from "the premise that only they have read and can understand Marx". This intellectual snobbery was, according to Egbuna, "doing a great harm to the cause they claim to be upholding" by ignoring race as a key reason for oppression of black workers:
Nobody in his right mind disputes that the fact that the White worker is a prey to capitalist exploitation, as well as the Black Worker. But equally indisputable is the fact that the White worker is exploited only because he is a worker, not because he is white, while in contrast, the Black Worker is oppressed, not only because he is a worker, but also because he is Black.
During the 1960s, many sympathisers of Black Power left their socialist and communist student organisations and subsequently started their own Marxist-orientated Black Power organisations, such as Black Socialist Alliance.
As a consequence of the
Race Relations Act 1965
The Race Relations Act 1965 was the first legislation in the United Kingdom to address racial discrimination.
The Act outlawed discrimination on the "grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins" in public places in Great Britain.
It ...
, incitement of racial violence had become illegal in the United Kingdom. Several members of Egbuna's UCPA were fined under this act. Egbuna was later that year imprisoned accused of threatening to kill police and certain politicians.
Later years
Egbuna's last novel, ''The Madness of Didi'', was published in 1980. He died in Washington, DC, on 18 January 2014, aged 75, and a tribute to his life and work was held on Saturday, 1 March 2014, at the Rankin Memorial Chapel, Howard University, Washington, DC.
Egbuna's papers are held at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, at the New York Public Library."Obi Egbuna papers 1960–2014" New York Public Library, Archives & Manuscripts.
Bibliography
Drama:
* ''The Anthill: A play'' (London:
Three Crowns Books
Three Crowns Books was an imprint of Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480 ...
/
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1965)
Novels:
* ''Wind Versus Polygamy'' (London:
Faber & Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel ...
, 1964) (republished in paperback by
Fontana Books
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...
as ''Elina'', 1978)
* ''The Minister's Daughter'' (1975; Fontana paperback, 1985)
* ''The Madness of Didi'' (1980)
Short stories:
* ''Daughters of the Sun and Other Stories'' (Three Crowns Books, 1970)
* ''Emperor of the Sea and Other Stories'' (London: Fontana/Collins, 1974)
* ''The Rape of Lysistrata'' (Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers, 1980)
* ''Black Candle for Christmas'' (Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers, 1980)
Non-fiction:
* ''Black Power in Britain'' (London: UCPA, 1967)
* ''Black Power or Death'' (Black Star, 1968)
* ''The Murder of Nigeria: An Indictment'' (Panaf, 1968)
* ''Destroy this Temple: The Voice of Black Power in Britain'' (London:
MacGibbon & Kee
The British publishing house of Hart-Davis, MacGibbon was formed in 1972 by its parent group, Granada. The parent company had acquired the publishing concern of Rupert Hart-Davis in 1963 and the house of MacGibbon & Kee (founded by James MacGibb ...
, 1971)
* ''The ABC of Black Power Thought – A Negro Book'' (1973)
* ''The Diary of a Homeless Prodigal'' (Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers, 1976)
Marxism
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...
Further reading
* Sivanadan, A., ''A Different Hunger – Writings on Black Resistance'', London:
Pluto Press
Pluto Press is a British independent book publisher based in London, founded in 1969. Originally, it was the publishing arm of the International Socialists (today known as the Socialist Workers Party), until it changed hands and was replaced ...