By Philip Effiong(Nigerian Novelist, Poet)
Today (15 March, 2007) I just received an e-mail from a former schoolmate at the university of Calabar informing me of the tragic death of Bate Besong. Although we were in the same department (English & Literary Studies), Besong was two years ahead of me and among the first English graduates of the University of Calabar.
This sad news is as devastating as it is unbelievable. Although my poetry publications have been in occasional collections, my interest in this genre was in many ways influenced and encouraged by Besong. He would hold meetings with young aspiring authors like me and give us the motivation that we wouldn't get anywhere else. He was certainly passionate about what he did and has left behind a noble legacy that the rest of us are inspired by.
I will miss Bate Besong, though I haven't seen him in many years. May God grant his family and loved ones the strength to bear this tremendous loss.
May Besong, a great bard, find eternal rest. May those who pas sed along with him also rest in perfect peace.
Besong, your anthem will continue to revive and re-create us.... Farewell!
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