Nigerian Literary Icon, Buchi Emecheta Passes on

Buchi Emecheta

One of Africa’s most celebrated and cerebral writers, Florence Onyebuchi “Buchi” Emecheta has passed on. She passed on in her sleep on Wednesday in London. She was aged 72 years.

Born on July 21, 1944 to the family of Alice Okwuekwuhe and Jeremy Nwabudike Emecheta, from Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta state, Buchi has so many plays and books and an autobiography to her credit. Some of her books include Second-Class Citizen (1974), The Bride Price (1976), The Slave Girl (1977) and The Joys of Motherhood (1979). Her writings on female education, independence and freedom won her several honours, including an Order of the British Empire in 2005

A successful author, Buchi is well travelled as a visiting professor and lecturer. From 1972 to 1979 she visited several American universities, including Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Between 1980 and 1981, Buch was senior resident fellow and visiting professor of English, University of Calabar, Nigeria. In 1982 she lectured at Yale University, and the University of London, as well as holding a fellowship at the University of London in 1986.

She earned a BSc degree in Sociology at the University of London in 1972 and a Ph.D from the same university in 1991.

Aside Order of the British Empire, Buchi also won so many Awards and recognition during her literary career including the Jock Campbell Award from the New Statesman (1979), British Home Secretary's Advisory Council on Race (1979), Arts Council of Great Britain bursary (1982–83), and one of Granta′s "Best of the Young British Novelists" (1983). In September 2004, she appeared in the historic “A Great Day in London” photograph taken at the British Library, featuring 50 Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature. In 2005, she was made an OBE.

Our condolences to the family.