Pius Adebola Adesanmi (27 February 1972 – 10 March 2019) was a Nigerian-born Canadian professor, writer, literary critic, satirist, and columnist. He was the author of ''
Naija No Dey Carry Last'', a 2015 collection of satirical essays. Adesanmi died on 10 March 2019, when
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On 10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft ...
crashed shortly after take-off.
Biography and career
Adesanmi was born in
Isanlu
Isanlu is a town in Kogi State. It is the headquarters of Yagba East local government area of Kogi State in the South West (Nigeria), south western part of Nigeria. The current Agbana of Isanlu is Oba (king), Ọbá Moses Babatunde Etombi.
Cultur ...
, in
Yagba East Local Government area of
Kogi State
Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...
, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in French language from the
University of Ilorin
University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a federal government-owned university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the federal military government in August, 1975. The establishment aimed to implement one o ...
in 1992, a Master's degree in French from the
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...
in 1998, and a PhD in French Studies from the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
, Canada, in 2002.
[
Adesanmi was a Fellow of the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) from 1993 to 1997, and of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in 1998 and 2000.
From 2002 to 2005, he was Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the ]Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
, USA. In 2006, he joined Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
, in Ottawa, Canada, as a Professor of literature and African studies. He was the director of the university's Institute of African Studies until his death.
For many years, Adesanmi was a regular columnist for ''Premium Times
''Premium Times'' is a Nigerian online newspaper based in Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory. It was launched in 2011. The online medium is notable for investigative journalism and Reports among other fields.
Awards and nominations
In 2013 ...
'' and ''Sahara Reporters
Sahara Reporters is an online news agency based in New York City that focuses on promoting citizen journalism by encouraging everyday people to report stories about corruption, human rights abuses and other political misconduct in Africa, with s ...
''. His writings were often satiric, focusing on the absurd in the Nigerian social and political system. His targets often included politicians, pastors, and other relevant public figures. In September 2015, his scathing column on the decision of the Emir of Kano
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
, Lamido Sanusi, to take an underage wife generated substantial conversation on the matter, and even got the response of the Emir who responded to Adesanmi by name.
In 2015, he gave a TED talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
titled "Africa is the forward that the world needs to face".
Adesanmi died on 10 March 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On 10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft ...
from Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
to Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
crashed shortly after take-off. He was on his way to an African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
conference.[
Following his death, a collection of poetry with 267 poems from writers around the world, titled "]Wreaths for a Wayfarer
''Wreaths for a Wayfarer: An Anthology in Honour of Pius Adesanmi'' is a 2020 collection of poems edited by Uche Peter Umez and Nduka Otiono in honour of Pius Adesanmi (1972–2019). It was published by Daraja Press in North America and Narrat ...
" in reference to the first book published by Pius in 2001, was published in his honour by Daraja Press. The anthology was edited by Nduka Otiono and Uche Peter Umezurike
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, also known as Uche Peter Umez, is a Nigerian author and academic currently working as an assistant professor of English at the University of Calgary. In addition to publishing several works of children’s fiction, sh ...
.
Books
* ''The Wayfarer and Other Poems'' (Oracle Books, Lagos; 2001)
* ''You're Not a Country, Africa'' (Penguin Books; 2011)
* '' Naija No Dey Carry Last'' (Parrésia Publishers; 2015)
* ''Who Owns the Problem? Africa and the Struggle for Agency'' (Michigan State University Press; 2020).
Awards
In 2001, Adesanmi's first book, ''The Wayfarer and Other Poems'', won the Association of Nigerian Authors
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) is a non-profit organization that promotes Nigerian literature. It represents Nigerian creative writers at home and abroad. It was founded in 1981 by Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe as its president. The ...
' Poetry Prize.
In 2010, his book ''You're not a Country, Africa'' (Penguin Books, 2011), a collection of essays, won the inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing in the nonfiction category.
In 2017, Adesanmi was a recipient of Canada Bureau of International Education Leadership Award.
References
External links
In Pius Adesanmi's speech and writing, there is hope for a Pan-African future
(February 2016) LSE Summit Interview
Articles by Pius Adesanmi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adesanmi, Pius
1972 births
2019 deaths
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Nigerian emigrants to Canada
University of Ilorin alumni
University of Ibadan alumni
People from Kogi State
University of British Columbia alumni
Pennsylvania State University faculty
Carleton University faculty
Canadian columnists
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Ethiopia
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2019