Late Prof. Austin Chukwu

MY BIG COUSIN PROF AUSTIN CHUKWU BELONGS TO THE HEAVENS NOW

My big cousin Austin Chukwu belongs to the heavens now and his spirit walks among those of his dear mother, father, uncles, aunts and cousins too. As I think of the absolute finality of death and realise that I can no longer speak to him, I rue the missed opportunities – the conversations I could have had with him but never did. I suppose that is the cruelty of death  and life.  My cousin is no more and I shall never see or speak to him again. I cannot ask him what he thought about one idea or another. 

My big cousin is no longer with us except in spirit – and I feel the pain of the loss churning deep inside the base of my stomach. No amount of tears can wash away the wound of losing the dearest man in my life but I still cry and at times, it's difficult to stop.

Right now, I am almost unable to imagine his face – his smile. I am almost unable to recall clearly his deep appreciation of his own life and the joy with which he appropriated everything that it brought to him. Because when I close my eyes, that pervasive image of him – supine, lifeless and his face cast in a black shadow – invades my mind and my only relief then becomes a gut-wrenching grief. I cannot stop crying for the man who represented everything that was good and beautiful in this world. My heart cannot accept the passing of my greatest cousin, my mother's most cherished nephew– an eternal mentor – Prof Austin – a beloved brother to his sisters and brothers and a beautiful uncle who was loved and worshipped by his nieces and nephews – and most of all, his dear, dear wife.

Prof Austin my big cousin approached his own existence armed with a great deal of delight and wisdom. He had the most beautiful sense of humour. He could make the most mundane of events seem the most interesting with his gift for storytelling.  No one could relate a story quite like he did. He utilised his great sense of humour to inspire people too – to instil in people that nothing that they aimed for was unattainable.

He cherished each sunrise and sunset and described nature with great thoughtfulness and a hint of mischievous glee. He delved deep inside life itself with the sole intention of retrieving its inner beauty and displaying his discovery for all to see. He created the most beautiful works of art and stringed together the most beautiful prose poetry. My big cousin formulated some incredibly thoughtful concepts in his books and various essays.

When I look back now and remember the intensity with which he worked, I suspect that he was always mindful about beating death to the punch – to accomplish so much before it struck. He did anything and everything all at the same time – and that took so much out of him.

But first and foremost, my big cousin was an artist – a poet and novelist. Prof, always strived not just to see the obvious, but also to feel, hear and think about the hidden gem of life in all its vagaries. My big cousin relied on his inner eyes and saw the world and life in so many different ways and cherished every bright day and every gloomy day equally. He was so generous and always eager to share his discovery with everyone. My Big cousin spoke to a child in the same way he would an adult – he never saw any distinction between people – poor-rich, man-woman … they were all equal in his eyes.

My big cousin mattered to many people and ever will in the future. As I write this, I am yet to properly appreciate quite how I'm feeling. I feel very numb. My grief for the man who represented everything that was beautiful in this world is almost unbearable. I know very well that, although dead in flesh and blood, he may somehow live on. 

Prof imparted much too much of himself. He gave so much and inspired so many people. That Austin belongs to the world and in the years to come, as more and more people discover and rediscover the huge body of work that he produced, he will continue to inspire many more people. That way, his immortality will be ensured. To me, us – the entire family – we lost a man who had a deep, deep reserve of love. We mourn him because we will miss him terribly – because life will never be the same without him. For us, his passing represents the loss of a national treasure. My big cousin should have lived a bit longer because he had so much more to give. 

While we mourn, we also take comfort in the fact that your mission on earth would have been fulfilled. 

Farewell my dearest big cousin , my mother's beloved nephew – , my greatest idol. Like you once conferred with the mountains and valleys, we thank the Lord for your life and bade you farewell until we meet again.

Ndidi Elechi

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