Abimbola Adelakun left Ibadan, the city of Brown Roofs, to study and live a new life in Austin, the Bat City. Her next abode is now the Windy City, where she has accepted a prestigious offer at the University of Chicago. Let me take the story from the middle, as the beginning is too long.
It is unusual in American universities to be retained for a job where you obtained your PhD. This is to avoid the inbreeding common in Nigerian universities where many faculty graduated from the same department, compromising integrity, reproducing tired ideas, and halting the transitions to new intellectual orientations. In such a system, the older person becomes the most brilliant, the Baba of the Department. Your fate depends on loyalty to Baba and not the academic discipline.
In Ms Adelakun’s case, the signs of possible unusual retention at the University of Texas at Austin, where she obtained her PhD, arrived when I was in faraway Pretoria during the intense competition for a vacant position. Professor Moyo Okediji, on the same campus, sent a crisp and exciting email: have you seen the video of her job performance? No, I was not in the country. Then he added, “The talk will give her a job at the best university in the world.” Okediji, a one-third scholar, one-third artist, and one-third Ifa practitioner, probably combined three powerful arsenals to predict a future for a first-rate scholar. Okejiji’s divination tray has validated an Odu on success: Ms Adelakun is now moving on to greater glory!
My wife calls her a “preeminent professional,” always full of praise for Ms Adelakun’s hard work, weekly writing in PUNCH, and prolific book publishing. She is also a competent organiser. Some years ago, when funds arrived to establish the first Center of Nigerian Studies in the United States, I asked her to create the Center without telling her about the money to run it. She declined. I aborted the project because I could not transfer such a considerable amount to the professional career wreckers that surround me.
Let me do what I like to do best: second-order thinking. Societies have long been known to survive on certain practices. Such practices have, in the past, paved the way for a new understanding of the key concepts that are central to the smooth functioning of society and, by extension, explain the values to which such a society commits. In the African setting, just like in any part of the world, our societies are known to respect and honor exceptionality through various means. For a long time, acknowledging these exceptions has been a way to portray the essence of standing out and to create an enabling environment that allows others, especially the youths, to pursue greatness. While this short analogy may not capture the essence of these thoughts, one can categorically say that the emergence of local chieftaincy titles, honorary titles as seen in our cities, did not spur out of mere desires. Rather, they are preconceived thoughts to honour and eulogise outstanding personalities while conveying to others that excellence pays.
Even though this piece is not targeted at a chieftaincy divestiture or ceremony, it holds the same credence and importance as the examples mentioned earlier. It is equally a celebration of an eminent personality and, simultaneously, a day to drive a message home for emerging young men and women. As a custodian of history, it will pass as an injustice to the community I represent if I fail to commit to the documentation of rare human history in a time when priorities have changed. Fame has yet to be redefined by social whims. It will be a shame to deprive the coming generation of opportunities to meet with legends, eminent personalities, and great contributors to our world because we fail to document them.
Hence, there is a commitment to the exaltation of great individuals like Ms Adelakun. Without mincing words, our world today has seen and eulogized superheroes of different shades. Some have always been in the limelight and have become household names, and some alternate between the two, coming into public view and retiring behind the curtains as the cases demand. Such is the lifestyle of Ms Adelakun, a public intellectual. She is a hero, an enigma that deserves all the mentions possible in the world.
Born in the brown-roofs city of Ibadan, Nigeria, Ms Adelakun had her basic education up to the tertiary level, attaining undergraduate and master’s degrees in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. Not one to be deterred by boundaries and limitations, Ms Adelakun found her way from Ibadan to the four walls of the University of Texas at Austin in a relentless pursuit for knowledge, where she bagged another MA degree and then a doctoral degree in Theatre and Dance. These feats are a rare demonstration of her doggedness and drive for greatness, commitment to truth, and academic scholarship.
Ms Adelakun has an unmistakable aura for scholarship and impact. Her academic pursuits, as it appears, are diverse and profound. Despite the peculiar nature of these specialisations, she did not fail to explore the width and breadth of her interest while building authority and relevance with credible research works around the intersections of politics, African spirituality, religion, theatre, and dance. Her research work goes beyond the abstract. Her ability to intertwine research into contemporary human society resonates with the experiences of many who have seen, read, and digested her work.
A notable masterpiece by Ms Adelakun that fits the above description would be her seminal work, Performing Power in Nigeria: Identity, Politics, and Pentecostalism, published by Cambridge University Press in 2022. The book offers an introspective look into the world of Nigerian Pentecostals, discussing the complexities attached to asserting power and sustaining identities in a diverse socio-political society. Through this incisive examination, Ms Adelakun provided an unmatched analysis of the performative aspects of Pentecostalism and the intricate intersections between religion and performance in shaping societal norms and individual identities.
It is not uncommon to find a high level of unpopularity for research works of this nature outside academics. However, with a keener look into the complexities attached, one cannot but salute Ms Adelakun for a job well done. For instance, one may not appreciate the beauty of Performing Power in Nigeria except with a prior understanding of how societies employ religious expressions in tandem with political ambitions. Just as she delved into how our Pentecostals used sermons, rituals, body language, and music to maintain relevance, Ms Adelakun’s work uncovers the profound, often uncomfortable truths about authority, identity, and collective imagination in Nigeria. She is a tough analyst!
Her exemplary scholarship is characterised by boundless curiosity forged in a mind of inquiry. She is fully absorbed in challenging simplistic narratives on gender theories, African spirituality, performance arts, and race theories, amongst other seemingly contrasting yet connected topics, creating a vibrant fusion between these topics of noticeable disparities. In the classroom, she is the epitome of the noble profession she is so endeared to. She teaches her students with a vigour and passion that helps guide her students not only to learn alone but also to develop innate abilities to question, analyse, deconstruct, and create scenarios from an informed perspective.
Enviably, Ms Adelakun maintains a front row when standing tall to speak the truth. While many academics may prefer a retreat into the comfort zone of their profession, away from public space, she, on her part, chose the very opposite. She strides boldly into the public square through her weekly column, Thursdays with Abimbola Adelakun in The PUNCHnewspaper, where she pens down thought-provoking and awakening ideas as she confronts Nigeria’s deep-seated issues of corruption, religious exploitation, gender inequality, educational decay, and political malpractices for about two decades now.
Her approach as a columnist is straightforward. Her pen is unflinching. Where others sidestep and rebrand controversial topics, she displays bravery by meeting them head-on, shedding light on the moral failures of leadership, and bringing up societal norms that perpetuate injustice while advocating fiercely for the marginalised. Her critiques are informed and not driven by cynicism or shadowy intentions. Instead, they are birthed by an abiding hope that Nigeria and Africa can improve. Even in the face of backlash, especially on issues with core religious undertones, our hero remains undeterred and continues to forge ahead in creating impact. In her case, it is true that “true patriotism lies not in blind loyalty but in the courage to hold one’s country accountable.”
To call Ms Adelakun an enigma is not out of place because how do you explain the brilliance she displays in bridging worlds with art and thought? She is a master at what she does. Outside the scope of academics and journalism is a creative spirit with breathtaking delivery. To her credit are books offering reflections on everyday happenings in human society. Prominent amongst her creative work is Under the Brown Rusted Roofs, a novel that provides poignant views of a fictitious reflection of her Nigerian upbringing, throwing light into the lives of a polygamous family tied to the true nature of post-colonial legacies in a frantic battle for survival amidst fractured dreams. The book is not just literature; it passes more as an archaeological excavation of the actual realities of marginalised persons: women and children in a patriarchal society, an unconcerned elite class, and a desperate search for meaning where hope seems to be lost.
It would be an outright disservice to an outstanding personality like Ms Adelakun if I fail to mention her humane nature and selfless contribution to society. As part of her beliefs in giving back to society, she portrays her ideals through involvement in community initiatives like the Women’s Storybook Project of Texas, which seeks out incarcerated mothers and records them while reading to their children. Though simple, the act is yet profound as it bridges the gap between the mothers and their kids while preserving familial bonds at the barest minimum against the odds. In addition to these humanitarian acts are the countless hours spent mentoring students in the university, especially in owning their narratives and challenging systemic barriers that may impede their academic excellence.
Ms Adelakun’s celebration today is not just for her impressive resume; it is to testify to the greatness of a woman who dares while others dodge. It is a story of one who mentors, heals with words, and preserves culture while preaching progress. Adelakun’s career has shown that her life’s work revives the connection between the principles of education, art, and activism; they are but interconnected variables of societal development, healing, and transformation.
As we honour a living legend, we should be reminded that legends are not only those whose names are filled in the books. Some are amongst us, questioning, teaching, writing, creating, and loving. We reaffirm our commitment to truth, justice, and excellence in celebrating exceptional individuals. In an eloquent closing statement she might appreciate, I say that celebrating Ms Adelakun today is not just a tribute to her past or present but an investment in the future she tirelessly works to shape.
Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin
