Bantu Mwaura

Two hours ago, an email flashed into my inbox from Philo Ikonya, President of the Kenya Chapter of PEN:

deeply shocked by the news of Bantu Mwaura's murder... Is it true? What happened?

I froze.

Then dialled numbers as fast as my fingers could push buttons. Not really knowing why, as I had no words.

Then I cried as the voices of friends in Amsterdam and Nairobi confirmed it. It takes the voices of friends to bring the tears down.

Bantu was a brilliant Kenyan scholar, academic, activist, theatre artist, poet, writer. A valued friend and colleague.

The first time I met him, in Zanzibar three years ago, he showed me the cellphone display photo of his wife and children. When he told me his daughters' names - Makeba and Me Katilili - I teased him:

No pressure there, huh? No burdens of history on two gorgeous children?

Bantu's voice unspools in my head right now. With all his fierce righteousness, honest rage, passionate scholarship, loathing of hypocrisy, love of true art, uncompromising rigor of standards, commitment to making good work, activist power, courage of spirit, and largeness of heart.

It's the faces of his daughters that keep the tears running.

I'm writing a tribute to Bantu for Pambazuka News. If you have something you'd like to share about him, email it to me at shailja@shailja.com