The rememberer’s supreme memory and its ecstatic dream world from which has sprung a power that has enabled him to recreate ANA Bendel in its formative mode of existence cannot but have elicited from our readers so far the emotions of “Beauty! Beauty!” as Friedrich Nietzsche might have induced them to echo unflaggingly.

But the memory of recall or of recovery cannot always be supremely perfect. The nourished mind sustained by memory can also not be infinitely potent or profusely generous to the sensibilities of the recollecting raconteur.

In the first instalment of this discourse, of this recollection, the notable poet Odia Ofeimun was affirmed as the first Secretary-General of the Association of Nigerian Authors. The gleaner-glimpser-glitterer’s memory rescues itself from its error in the service of its confidence. The late remarkable historical novelist Professor Kole Omotoso was the first Secretary-General of ANA.

The raconteur can now stir his memory and mind to recall how the formative being-ness of ANA Bendel was realised. Because of the everlasting fear of plagiarists nothing much – or better, nothing of inestimable value shall the rememberer’s nib of memory embody. What a stirrer who shall in no distant time do a spectacular form of suasion in this wise! And how suave the stirrer shall be!

If my memory is serving my mind well in the endeavour to recover, to recall, to reproduce the being-ness of ANA Bendel, the spirit of the last hosting, I think, in 1985, of ANA National by ANA Bendel before Chinua Achebe released his presidential baton to Kole Omotoso (who succeeded him) is, as I am perceiving it, gradually reawakening in me. That ANA Bendel hosting of the national convention wore an international coat of bright colours.

Participants attended from the Soviet Union, USA and Ghana. Three or four of them were from the eastern country where Festus Iyayi and Odun Balogun had vital aspects of their university education. Atukwei Okai, the late Ghanaian poet who was Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) for many years was present. He also was educated at universities in the Soviet Union.

I am seeing images of Biodun Jeyifo, the ebony black critic of Bendel’s Edo North  origin (like Abiola Irele), who I saw for the first time at the convention which, I should remind our readers, held at the main auditorium of the University of Benin. The well-wrought short sleeves adire shirt of attractive brown colour he wore upon a sky blue pair of jeans singled him out as a lover of bare fashion. I was told he came from the United States. Let me spare our readers further details of other participants’ mannerisms, including their sartors’ designs – traditional or Western.

A “theme” which cropped up at the conference, at the convention, that is, centred on the “clash” concerning the literary or scholarly disagreement between Chinua Achebe, the original mind and the ever gentle torch-bearer of our literature, and Tunde Fatunde, whose literary insights into things were totally and significantly different from the immortally Immortal’s.

I did not clearly hear what Fatunde said as a remark and reply to what Achebe said in his address to the audience. But someone tried to explain to me that Tunde Fatunde, the “literary toddler,” might have said something to the effect that the inimitable Nigerian and African foremost novelist of indisputably world renown was a reactionary. “What”? I screamed to no one in particular. But my informer tried to “defend” Tunde Fatunde thus: “His English failed him. He thought he was speaking French!”.

I laughed vernacularly but gently so. In any case, after all said and done Chinua Achebe was placated after Tunde Fatunde, a co-host of the gathering, prompted himself to tender an apology after un-burdening his literary conscience.

After the convention, plans were a-foot for us to inaugurate ANA Bendel. The Department of English and Literature of the University of Benin played a pivotal role to bring this to fruition.

Long before Festus Iyayi, Odun Balogun, Tunde Fatunde and this rememberer hosted the respective literary authors’ gatherings, a writing “club” of students used to meet once a week in any favourable evening from six o’clock at the common room of an all-male hostel, Hall Three, to read and dissect each one’s writings, essentially poetry and short stories. At times the readings would drag on to near eleven o’clock.

But usually the readings would be over between nine o’clock and ten o’clock. An English top major Ikuewumi Manuwa, and Ogaga Ifowodo of the Faculty of Law who took courses in English were the brains in charge of the readings which academic staff such as the stirrer equally partook in occasionally. Then Benin City was a buoyantly buoyant city.

And Uniben was Uniben our Uniben the Uniben! Occasionally, lovers of literature and the arts outside Uniben partook in the readings. I am remembering that I met at one of the readings Mr Pius Oleghe, a chum of our Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, at the University College, Ibadan in the nineteen fifties or so. Mr Pius Oleghe was a radiant poet who at the time in question was in the state’s civil service in Benin. We never met again after our one and only meeting.

What has prompted me to do this aspect of the recollection exercise? It is the urge to demonstrate that Bendel was never a state of uneasiness in the matter of learning, literature, art and the arts. ANA Bendel was more than ready for its inauguration.

Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.