The 78-year-old Ghanaian was a renowned poet - regarded as literary royalty at home, where his poetry and novels are considered essential reading at schools.
He became known for his poetry in the 1960s and was inspired by the singing and oral storytelling of his Ewe ethnic group - his first published collection was called Rediscovery.
In the 1970s he taught at several universities in the US, returning to Ghana in 1975 to take up a position as head of English at the University of Cape Coast.
Within months he was arrested and detained for a year on suspicion of treason during the military rule of Col Ignatius Acheampong.
This provoked protests from Amnesty International and writers such as the beat poet Allen Ginsberg.
He became more politically active after his incarceration, serving as Ghana's ambassador to Brazil in the 1980s, and - after the country's return to multi-party democracy - as ambassador to the UN.
Ghana's President John Mahama said he was shocked by such a sad twist of fate: "A writer, politician and traditionalist with great wit, sense of humour and very well-spoken. He will be sorely missed..."
Mr Awoonor's son was with him in Nairobi and was shot in the shoulder during the attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment