History of The Fonlon-Nichols Award

Bernard FONLON was a teacher, writer, editor of literary journals, and head of the African Literature Department at the University of Yaoundé. He passionately defended human rights in an often oppressive political atmosphere. When this noted Cameroonian man of letters died in 1986, a group of his friends from around the world decided to seek an appropriate way of honoring his memory.

Mobilized largely by Stephen Arnold (then Director of the Research Institute for African and Caribbean Literature -- RICLAC -- at the University of Alberta), these friends of Bernard Fonlon contributed to a memorial fund in his name. These contributions were matched by the Provincial Government of Alberta (Canada).

At about this time Lee NICHOLS announced his retirement. Nichols is a journalist whose positions in support of human rights and against racism are especially known among scholars of African literature for his historic Voice of America reports on the development of African literatures from the sixties to the present.

The executive committee of RICLAC felt it would be appropriate to associate his name to that of Bernard Fonlon, both having shared a commitment to democratic ideals, humanistic values, and literary excellence in Africa.

At its 1993 meeting in Guadeloupe, the Executive of the African Literature Association resolved that the Award be conferred regularly at the annual meetings of the ALA.

The Fonlon-Nichols Award is given every year to an African writer for excellence in creative writing and for contributions to the struggles for human rights and freedom of expression

http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/%7Echinook/fonlon-nichols/

Comments

[Simon Awanchiri]

Can you, please, post Dr. Fonlon's CV. Perhaps it is there and I simply cannot trace it.

Kind regards,
SA

[bams]

This site pays no justice to this great man. If the creator of this site has nothing better to do he should go to mile 90 and dig sand

[Andy]

Mr. Bams, in the intro to this site, its creators clearly state the following:

"The website is a work in progress, a benevolent gesture by individuals who are not experts on Fonlon, but merely facilitators placing tools in the hands of the knowledgeable. So, although the website will ultimately serve as the repository of works by and on Fonlon, and as a forum for the discussion and analysis of his ideas, it sorely lacks content at this time. Interested members of the public, particularly those who may be described as "Fonlonists", are therefore encouraged to send in pictures, quotes, articles, comments, biographical snippets, personal experiences, etc., that are Fonlon-related. In short, everything Fonlon is welcome."

So rather than sitting by the sidelines, why not join the effort to "pay justice to this great man" as you put it?