Buratai Lauded by Top African Literature Scholar for Honouring Ekwensi

The posthumous conferment of the inaugural T.Y. Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) Young Adult Literature Award on legendary Nigerian author Cyprian O.D. Ekwensi has drawn international acclaim. One of Africa’s most renowned literary scholars, Prof. Ernest N. Emenyonu, described it as a “historic honour” and a vindication of Ekwensi’s enduring legacy.

In a personal letter to Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Rtd), Chairman of the TYBLI and the Tukur & Tukur Foundation, Prof. Emenyonu, emeritus Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Michigan-Flint and Editor of the globally recognised African Literature Today, expressed profound gratitude for the initiative. He praised the recognition of Ekwensi as a timely intervention that will inspire a renewed appreciation of Young Adult Literature (YAL) in Nigeria.

If Cyprian Ekwensi were alive today, he would cherish this award as his most indisputably merited recognition as a Nigerian writer,” Emenyonu stated. “This award is a clear and firm vindication of his pioneering contributions to Young Adult Literature in Nigeria.”

The professor, who has written two seminal books on Ekwensi—Cyprian Ekwensi (1974) and The Essential Ekwensi (1987)—revealed that he is currently editing the late author’s unpublished autobiography, which Ekwensi had entrusted to him shortly before his death in 2007.

“This award has added enormous inspiration and momentum to my work on his autobiography,” Emenyonu noted. Responding with appreciation, Lt. Gen. Buratai (Rtd) expressed humility and joy at the commendation, reiterating his commitment to celebrating icons of Nigerian literature. He said the TYBLI Award aims to highlight and reward authors who have shaped the nation’s literary landscape, particularly in the realm of youth literature. In his letter, Buratai affirmed: “Your words of praise and acknowledgment of the significance of the award in the global literary community encourage the efforts of the Initiative… I look forward to the publication of Ekwensi’s autobiography.” The TYBLI Award, created to honour authors of Young Adult Literature in Nigeria, was launched to elevate the genre’s status and promote literacy among younger generations. Cyprian Ekwensi was recognized as the inaugural recipient in November 2024, cementing his place in Nigeria’s literary hall of fame and energized ongoing efforts to immortalize his work for future generations. Prof. Emenyonu concluded his letter with heartfelt thanks, writing: “Personally, too, the award has added enormous inspiration and momentum to my work now on his autobiography. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” This transatlantic literary exchange marks a historic moment in Nigerian cultural recognition, uniting past and present champions of literature through honour, memory, and continued scholarship.

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