Peter ABRAHAMS Dies

[Wahalla]

http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/renowned-journalist-peter-abrahams-is-dead

we were lucky we had his voice.. I remember his gravelled voice his opinions the ideas....his commentries after the news...I never knew he was South African till I read Tell Freedom... I still have some of his book to read...

[evanovitch]

http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/renow...rahams-is-dead


we were lucky we had his voice.. I remember his gravelled voice his opinions the ideas....his commentries after the news...I never knew he was South African till I read Tell Freedom... I still have some of his book to read...

watched an interview with him last week, while i was in Jamaica...he looked really frail n the famous inflection in his voice was muted.. i own n have read every book he has written..

[Tuff Gong]

Agree with Wahalla & evanovitch!

[Wahalla]

It might be murder.....They haven't called it but that seems to be the working theory....




Evan was it the earl Moxam interviews with him?

[evanovitch]

It might be murder.....They haven't called it but that seems to be the working theory....




Evan was it the earl Moxam interviews with him?

Dont recall who who the interviewer was...stumbled on the interview while surfing channels...have u read The View from Coyaba?...one of my favourite of his books...Coyaba was the name of what is today's Red Hills area....the book is about the time the former slaves established settlements up there after Emancipation...Mine Boy is about South Africa n although I have had a copy for decades, I lucked out last year in finding a 1st edition copy in a goodwill type store for $1

[evanovitch]

A Wreath for Udomo is a 1956 novel by South African novelist Peter Abrahams. The novel follows a London-educated black African, Michael Udomo, who returns to Africa to become a revolutionary leader in the fictional country of Panafrica and is eventually martyred.^[1] The novel explores a revolutionary politics, exploring the diversity of actors and political communities needed to overcome colonial oppression.^[1]
The novel was controversial at the time of its publication, because it represented revolutionary independence from a tropical African country, before the first such independence by the Gold Coast.^[1] Critic Bernth Lindfors described the character of Udomo as being modeled off real revolutionary leaders in Africa, including Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta and Nnamdi Azikiwe.^[1]

[Wahalla]

I read a view from Coyaba, A wreath for Udomo.... We were lucky we had brilliant people in the media on the radio .... Hearne, Cargil, Perkins, Maxwell, Dacosta, Ebanks, Abrahams..... I get the impression some times it makes a differe if we who had the experience of these voices compared to those who did not... We who heard or read them see the world as equal to us. We like big ideas. We like a well turned phrase... We like being informed and we are more tolerant.....

I find it sad that our Jamaican teachers never appreciated them... never realised their class....I find having shared experience of these men makes us better...

How many people had a writer that inspired Achebe as a regular commentetor on the radio? That was Abrahams.... He was our African teacher which Burning Spear sang but we looked outside not realising he was so familiar he was next door...

[evanovitch]

I read a view from Coyaba, A wreath for Udomo.... We were lucky we had brilliant people in the media on the radio .... Hearne, Cargil, Perkins, Maxwell, Dacosta, Ebanks, Abrahams..... I get the impression some times it makes a differe if we who had the experience of these voices compared to those who did not... We who heard or read them see the world as equal to us. We like big ideas. We like a well turned phrase... We like being informed and we are more tolerant.....

I find it sad that our Jamaican teachers never appreciated them... never realised their class....I find having shared experience of these men makes us better...

How many people had a writer that inspired Achebe as a regular commentetor on the radio? That was Abrahams.... He was our African teacher which Burning Spear sang but we looked outside not realising he was so familiar he was next door...

so true... I was one of the fortunate students in Jamaica who had a school that used our West Indian authors' work in our Literature classes....

[Wahalla]

Yesterday on That's a Rap they broadcast three pieces by PA. .

an interview with a Swedish Ombudsman man from 1967....
An interview by PA with Wilson Hill.. who tried to explain away a statement he made about personal political corruption...

an interlude from the 1958 election night broadcast with our hero Morris Cargill.... The use of buearcrasy to stop people voting when it turned out that they had stopped voters from registering..

and my favourite

An interlude from 72 election night I actually remembered when Douglas Manley was behind in the polls... It is hard to explain the expectations of that elections before the event.....We knew it meant change...We got incompetence.....

[Wahalla]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/books/peter-abrahams-a-south-african-who-wrote-of-apartheid-and-identity-dies-at-97.html?_r=0

[Wahalla]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20170125/annie-paul-wreath-peter-abrahams

[Wahalla]

Abrahams: What A Man!


Published:Sunday | January 29, 2017 | 12:00 AM
You do not choose the family into which you are born, and for extended periods, you are guided and controlled by those members with whom you are in constant contact.

I had the distinction of being the first grandchild and I spent my formative years with my grandparents. They were both exceptional persons who lived exceptional lives despite the odds they faced. Neither of them had much formal education. They both completed sixth grade at different primary schools.

My grandfather was to give living emphasis to living by the sweat of your brow. My grandmother was the proverbial right hand, without which he was severely handicapped. They together had seven children, one of whom, I was told, died early. They made, as a family, the decision to put all of their working lives into two institutions: the Church and the school. A review of their life's endeavours over 50 years of marriage indicates that they both invested long term and heavily in both. All six of their children were formally educated to the tertiary level and they always opened and closed the church.



Educational Journey


I came into this family, and instantly, my grandparents invested in me. I was made to learn everything. I would sit at my grandmother's feet daily while she read The Daily Gleaner. At that point in time, the back page of The Gleaner had a headline that read 'Government Notices'. These were to become the first two words I ever learned to spell and read.

Once my grandparents became aware that I could read before I was three years old, I was mandated to read the Gleaner feature Tell me Why daily. This began my exposure to thought process and communication.

Peter Abrahams was still illiterate at age 11, and his educational journey never stopped until he departed this life last week at age 97. He was a South African by birth, fathered by an Ethiopian.

Peter Abrahams understood the power and use of language. He had a regular commentary on RJR. I was invited to listen - and listen I did. I was told it was never more than two typewritten pages long. I never met the man, but he had an enormous impact on my life. He made me aware that it was acceptable to think about politics, governance, public perceptions, and the aspirations of a people and speak out about them.



A Native Son


In his many commentaries, I never got the impression that he was angry because he never raised his voice. His pieces sought to provide background food for thought for the persons who were to build this nation. He had the courage to adopt Jamaica while it was still a colony.

Abrahams grew and acted like a native son, always in my memory, seeking to boost our potential. He was not alone in this respect because two other commentators come to mind, namely, John Akhar and Frank Hill. These three men sought always to identify our national potential and offer guidance as to how to maximise it. Others did offer commentary, but they always came across as having nothing but political objectives and not appealing to our national interests.

At this stage of our history, where our achievements for the last 54 years fall woefully short of what our attainments should be, we need to revisit the need for 'wise men'. Those who offer sage advice and deliver it wrapped in the motives of national interests. Those who will cause us to think and reflect on our own roles. Who among us can fulfil this in 2017?

The education system produces much more mediocrity than excellence. Those with the excellence very soon depart the shores or seek to hold their corner. The trials of the Church, as an institution, are very much in the forefront of public focus at this time. Which national church leader, at this point in our history, comes to mind as being worthy of a listening ear? Where is the replacement for the Rev Cleve Grant, Rev Sam Reid, Rev Ashley Smith, and Archbishop Carter?

Where is the parliamentarian to replace Edwin Allen, who championed the cause of children and education for their own sake? Any candidates come to mind who currently occupy space in Gordon House? Where there is no vision, the people perish.

We keep giving people accolades primarily because of the office they hold and not for what they represent in the national arena. Churchmen are persons whose jobs, for which they are paid, require them to wear distinguishing items of clothing. This does not distinguish them as persons of worth, but rather among the fortunate to be employed.

The politicians occupy Gordon House because they pledge fidelity to a political party and only in passing do they offer encomiums to the people they are supposed to serve. Inspiration is nowhere to be found. "My uncle is an obeah man" is supposed to generate praise for one's intellectual contribution to solving crime.

How can these current leaders be evaluated in the same light as Peter Abrahams?

- Ronald Mason is an immigration attorney and Supreme Court mediator. Email feedback to columns

[evanovitch]

Abrahams: What A Man!


Published:Sunday | January 29, 2017 | 12:00 AM
You do not choose the family into which you are born, and for extended periods, you are guided and controlled by those members with whom you are in constant contact.

I had the distinction of being the first grandchild and I spent my formative years with my grandparents. They were both exceptional persons who lived exceptional lives despite the odds they faced. Neither of them had much formal education. They both completed sixth grade at different primary schools.

My grandfather was to give living emphasis to living by the sweat of your brow. My grandmother was the proverbial right hand, without which he was severely handicapped. They together had seven children, one of whom, I was told, died early. They made, as a family, the decision to put all of their working lives into two institutions: the Church and the school. A review of their life's endeavours over 50 years of marriage indicates that they both invested long term and heavily in both. All six of their children were formally educated to the tertiary level and they always opened and closed the church.



Educational Journey


I came into this family, and instantly, my grandparents invested in me. I was made to learn everything. I would sit at my grandmother's feet daily while she read The Daily Gleaner. At that point in time, the back page of The Gleaner had a headline that read 'Government Notices'. These were to become the first two words I ever learned to spell and read.

Once my grandparents became aware that I could read before I was three years old, I was mandated to read the Gleaner feature Tell me Why daily. This began my exposure to thought process and communication.

Peter Abrahams was still illiterate at age 11, and his educational journey never stopped until he departed this life last week at age 97. He was a South African by birth, fathered by an Ethiopian.

Peter Abrahams understood the power and use of language. He had a regular commentary on RJR. I was invited to listen - and listen I did. I was told it was never more than two typewritten pages long. I never met the man, but he had an enormous impact on my life. He made me aware that it was acceptable to think about politics, governance, public perceptions, and the aspirations of a people and speak out about them.



A Native Son


In his many commentaries, I never got the impression that he was angry because he never raised his voice. His pieces sought to provide background food for thought for the persons who were to build this nation. He had the courage to adopt Jamaica while it was still a colony.

Abrahams grew and acted like a native son, always in my memory, seeking to boost our potential. He was not alone in this respect because two other commentators come to mind, namely, John Akhar and Frank Hill. These three men sought always to identify our national potential and offer guidance as to how to maximise it. Others did offer commentary, but they always came across as having nothing but political objectives and not appealing to our national interests.

At this stage of our history, where our achievements for the last 54 years fall woefully short of what our attainments should be, we need to revisit the need for 'wise men'. Those who offer sage advice and deliver it wrapped in the motives of national interests. Those who will cause us to think and reflect on our own roles. Who among us can fulfil this in 2017?

The education system produces much more mediocrity than excellence. Those with the excellence very soon depart the shores or seek to hold their corner. The trials of the Church, as an institution, are very much in the forefront of public focus at this time. Which national church leader, at this point in our history, comes to mind as being worthy of a listening ear? Where is the replacement for the Rev Cleve Grant, Rev Sam Reid, Rev Ashley Smith, and Archbishop Carter?

Where is the parliamentarian to replace Edwin Allen, who championed the cause of children and education for their own sake? Any candidates come to mind who currently occupy space in Gordon House? Where there is no vision, the people perish.

We keep giving people accolades primarily because of the office they hold and not for what they represent in the national arena. Churchmen are persons whose jobs, for which they are paid, require them to wear distinguishing items of clothing. This does not distinguish them as persons of worth, but rather among the fortunate to be employed.

The politicians occupy Gordon House because they pledge fidelity to a political party and only in passing do they offer encomiums to the people they are supposed to serve. Inspiration is nowhere to be found. "My uncle is an obeah man" is supposed to generate praise for one's intellectual contribution to solving crime.

How can these current leaders be evaluated in the same light as Peter Abrahams?

- Ronald Mason is an immigration attorney and Supreme Court mediator. Email feedback to columns

Ronnie daddy was George Mason , a former Mayor of Kingston...am trying to remember the grandparents of whom he speaks...but then i knew him as a bigger boy to me...knew his father very well....