Goodbye Godwin Avenorgbo, Journalists’ Friend

By Cameron Duodu

Feature Article Goodbye Godwin Avenorgbo, Journalists’ Friend

FRI, 06 SEP 2024

Because journalism is such a competitive business, it is not often that one comes across journalists who genuinely like one another. even where admiration among colleagues does exist, jealousy is usually an obstacle to the full expression of appreciation for the work of colleagues.

The late Godwin Avenorgbo, who passed in Accra on August 19, 2024, at the age of 78, was one of the few exceptions. Since his death, many journalists and acquaintances have been full of praise to him for the way he sought to achieve excellence in his work during his life-time.

I didn’t know him at all, having only come across him in mid-2024, when, as chair of the Planning Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association in charge of the activities marking the 75th anniversary of the GJA, he led members of the Committee to come and invite me formally to take part in one of the planned activi- ties.

That one meeting produced so much inter-personal warmth that when I was asked to do so (with immense charm), I travelled to Ho to take part in a symposium, though I wasn’t in the best of health. It was thus, a great blow to me when I heard, a few weeks later, that Godwin had passed.

What? He had shown no sign of sickness during the visit to me; in fact, he had shown very good form during the visit to me, and told me a few good stories about when he worked for the BBC in London. I thus wondered what could have taken him away so soon after our meeting. I join my journalistic colleagues in conveying my sorrowful condolences to his family.

I have learnt mainly from that indefatigable member of the Committee, Peter Agbeko, that because of his vast experience as both a working journalist and a Public Relations expert, Godwin had made himself quite a mentor to many of the practitioners of both professions. Everyone who has spoken to me about Godwin emphasised his meticulous use of lan- guage and his ability to organise public events.

Conducting public events can be quite tricky, as the unexpected can happen at any time, and if one is not quick-witted, both hosts and guests might experience some embarrassment. Godwin was so adept at handling all manner of situations that he got to be fondly known as “The Grandmaster”.

As an MC, he tactfully prevented boredom by making wisecracks but not overdoing it. Those who had seen him “perform” in public, have remarked, since his death, that they had been impressed by the gregarious picture he presented of himself, which, added to his expertise, made them regard him as a mentor.

The president of the GJA, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour and the general secretary, Mr. Kofi Yeboah (who, incidentally worked with Godwin at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation), have paid warm tributes to Godwin and acknowledged his readiness to assist the organisation whenever he was called upon to do so.

In his tribute, Mr. Yeboah wrote, “I don't know how he got the accolade 'The Grandmaster' but having studied him closely as my boss and senior colleague, I don't need a sound-bite of that story because Godwin was professional to a fault.”

Mr. Yeboah went on, “During his tenure as Director of Radio (at the GBC), I received a number of commendation letters for hard work and professional excellence, and although those letters were not legal tender for payment of goods, they paid off well (to help me) in my pursuit of excellence.”

Godwin would have loved to hear that he was such an inspiration to a young member of his pro- fession. May he rest in peace.

www.cameronduodu.com

Martin Cameron Duodu is a United Kingdom-based Ghanaian novelist, journalist, editor and broadcaster. After publishing a novel, The Gab Boys, in 1967, Duodu went on to a career as a journalist and editorialist.. More Martin Cameron Duodu (born 24 May 1937) is a United Kingdom-based Ghanaian novelist, journalist, editor and broadcaster. After publishing a novel, The Gab Boys, in 1967, Duodu went on to a career as a journalist and editorialist.

Education
Duodu was born in Asiakwa in eastern Ghana and educated at Kyebi Government Senior School and the Rapid Results College, London , through which he took his O-Level and A-Level examinations by correspondence course . He began writing while still at school, the first story he ever wrote ("Tough Guy In Town") being broadcast on the radio programme The Singing Net and subsequently included in Voices of Ghana , a 1958 anthology edited by Henry Swanzy that was "the first Ghanaian literary anthology of poems, stories, plays and essays".

Early career
Duodu was a student teacher in 1954, and worked on a general magazine called New Nation in Ghana, before going on to become a radio journalist for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation from 1956 to 1960, becoming editor of radio news <8> (moonlighting by contributing short stories and poetry to The Singing Net and plays to the programme Ghana Theatre). <9> From 1960 to 1965 he was editor of the Ghana edition of the South African magazine Drum , <10> and in 1970 edited the Daily Graphic , <3> the biggest-selling newspaper in Ghana.< citation needed >

The Gab Boys (1967) and creative writing
In 1967, Duodu's novel The Gab Boys was published in London by André Deutsch . The "gab boys" of the title – so called because of their gabardine trousers – are the sharply dressed youths who hang about the village and are considered delinquent by their elders. The novel is the story of the adventures of one of them, who runs away from village life, eventually finding a new life in the Ghana capital of Accra . According to one recent critic, "Duodu simultaneously represents two currents in West African literature of the time, on the one hand the exploration of cultural conflict and political corruption in post-colonial African society associated with novelists and playwrights such as Chinua Achebe and Ama Ata Aidoo , and on the other hand the optimistic affirmation of African cultural strengths found in poets of the time such as David Diop and Frank Kobina Parkes . These themes come together in a very compassionate discussion of the way that individual people, rich and poor, are pushed to compromise themselves as they try to navigate a near-chaotic transitional society."

In June 2010 Duodu was a participant in the symposium Empire and Me: Personal Recollections of Imperialism in Reality and Imagination, held at Cumberland Lodge , alongside other speakers who included Diran Adebayo , Jake Arnott , Margaret Busby , Meira Chand , Michelle de Kretser , Nuruddin Farah , Jack Mapanje , Susheila Nasta , Jacob Ross , Marina Warner , and others.

Duodu also writes plays and poetry. His work was included in the anthology Messages: Poems from Ghana ( Heinemann Educational Books , 1970).

Other activities and journalism
Having worked as a correspondent for various publications in the decades since the 1960s, including The Observer , The Financial Times , The Sunday Times , United Press International , Reuters , De Volkskrant ( Amsterdam ), and The Economist , Duodu has been based in Britain as a freelance journalist since the 1980s. He has had stints with the magazines South and Index on Censorship , and has written regularly for outlets such as The Independent and The Guardian .

He is the author of the blog "Under the Neem Tree" in New African magazine (London), and has also published regular columns in The Mail and Guardian ( Johannesburg ) and City Press (Johannesburg), as well as writing a weekly column for the Ghanaian Times (Accra) for many years.< citation needed >

Duodu has appeared frequently as a contributor on BBC World TV and BBC World Service radio news programmes discussing African politics, economy and culture.

He contributed to the 2014 volume Essays in Honour of Wole Soyinka at 80, edited by Ivor Agyeman-Duah and Ogochukwu Promise.Column: Cameron Duodu

Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here." Follow our WhatsApp channel for meaningful stories picked for your day.

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Goodbye Godwin Avenorgbo, Journalists’ Friend

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