Another garland for G.G. Darah ~ Truth Reporters

By Ajiri-Oghene Oreh

Come Tuesday, September 6, 2022, the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU) in Delta State, will confer radical folklorist and scholar, Professor Godini Gabriel (GG) Darah with a Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa).

The Award, according to the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Ibiyinka Fuwape is in recognition of Professor Darah’s “exceptional, notable, excellent and inspiring contributions to the advancement of knowledge and growth in human capital development at national and international levels,”. 

Also, Professor Darah is billed to deliver the Keynote Address at the 4th Convocation Ceremony of the University, and the 6th Michael Ibru Memorial Lecture at the University.

In a felicitation message, the National Academy of Letters (NAL) who recently honored and garlanded Darah with its highly regarded Fellow, said, the prestigious MCIU’s honorary doctorate on him “is a well-deserved award- a clear indication of Professor Darah’s intellectual stature and service to humanity”

Born 75years ago at his hometown, Esaba, Darah wears many caps as a scholar-critic, polemicist, folklorist, Marxist, journalist and administrator. His contributions to Nigeria ‘s literary, multi-disciplinary, socioeconomic and political discourses can not be quantified.

Darah is an alumnus of the nation’s premier University, the University of Ibadan (UI) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English in 1973, and later a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Oral Literature in 1982.

In the academic world, Professor Darah is known for his revolutionary approach to folklore and oral literature. Yes, he was among those in the 1970s and 1980s, the years of intense Marxist pontification, who provided ideological parentage for modern Nigerian, nay, African literature.

From 1974 to 1978, he was a teaching assistant at UI. And at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) he was a committed lecturer between 1978 to 1991. Darah was at the Northeastern University, Boston in the United States of America as a visiting professor of folklore, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, and from 2001 till now, he has been a professor at the Delta State University, Abraka.

A member of many learned societies Darah was President of the Nigeria Folklore Societies (1988-1995), founding President, Nigerian Oral Literature Association, member of International Society for Fork-Narrative Research, member of Association of Nigerian Authors.

Darah is a broad intellectual who has written countless highly authoritative academic essays and books on literature and culture. There is no doubt that he is an intellectual giant, and his innumerable national and international awards and honors given to him attest to his sheer virtuosity, versatility, profundity and erudition.

We, his mentees who he taught and mentored at DELSU’s English and Literary Studies Department are deeply inspired by his laudable academic achievements, great literary accomplishments and his sterling qualities as he is been honoured nationwide. 

And come Tuesday, we will all gather and flank our mutual mentor and literary leader, Professor G.G. Darah as the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University rolls out the drums to celebrate him with a honorary doctorate degree for his intellectual labour! For now, here’s another garland for GG Darah.

Oreh writes from Ughelli, Delta State.