Transition of a titan: Professor Haroub Othman

On Monday 29 December 2007, as the full import of the detestable electioneering, acrimonious elections, contested election results, the furtive, evening 'swearing in', the accompanying media clampdown and the rumblings of all-out war were tumbling down upon us, I was in Nairobi, receiving a flurry of phone calls, text messages and emails from friends all over the world. Commiserations, lamentations, remonstrations and damnations. One phone call was different. It was from Professor Haroub Othman. In his usual inspiring, self-effacing manner, he asked me 'Don, I have seen what is going on. WHAT do we DO?'

Unlike the majority of callers, and true to his form, style and substance, he was already very clear in his mind WHAT we should DO. He was merely rallying troops, energising friends and refining strategy. Within three short days, he had already organised (with Mama Helen Kijo-Bisimba) a meeting of legal, human rights and advocacy organisations in Dar es Salaam, and a ‘kamukunji’ of scholars of the University of Dar es Salaam. Their statements (‘communiqués’ in diplo-NGO-speak) were shared with local and international media and, more importantly, were delivered to the Kenya High Commission and State House Dar es Salaam. They pre-dated civil society or scholars' statements from anywhere else in the world, including Kenya itself. The influential Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice (KPTJ) Coalition was being formed at precisely the same time as the first of Professor Othman's Dar es Salaam parleys, and was comforted by his efforts. Meanwhile, in the streets and parks of the city, angry citizens and politicians battled with frenzied police officers for their right to protest.

I earnestly believe, and have passionately propagated, that those early exertions helped ensure that ‘officialdom’ in Dar es Salaam took a more cautious, pragmatic and long-term view on how to address the unfolding situation in Kenya than did, for example, ‘officialdom’ in Kampala. This was the ‘without-which-not’ that helped veer the ‘narrative’ in Kenya from hurtling down the precipice towards prolonged civil strife or state collapse. In the geo-politics of the region, had the president or government of Tanzania taken a similar line as did the president of Uganda, the trajectory of the conflict – and the prospect for an early cessation of hostilities – could or would have been different. Unfortunately – or possibly fortunately – these are the nuances that the prominent story-tellers (such as the mainstream media) often miss.

Such was the man. The professor. The activist. A sophisticated city gent with an amazing grassroots and rural touch. Knowledgeable, knowing and known. Wise, skilled, experienced. Self-assured and quietly assertive, yet so humble to a fault. A strategic thinker, who published prolifically, networked furiously and patiently planted small seeds now that would reap whirlwinds later. One of a diminishing breed of genuine, gentle, generous pan-Africanists who could see clearly where we were coming from and what we urgently needed to do in order to get to where we so desperately need to go. An age-less, agile and dynamic pragmatist. A breath of fresh air from the suffocating pseudo-nationalists and debilitating vampire entrepreneurs who corruptly prey upon our communal, national and regional treasures (and their glib apologists). A person indeed. A titan indeed. A hero indeed.

Never seeking the truly deserved glories for his efforts, Prof was a prime mover of the East African Community Civil Society Organisations' Forum (EACSOF) which he chaired from its inception until his untimely demise; also (with Professors Chris Maina Peter and Edward Frederick Ssempebwa) the colloquium of eminent legal and other scholars on the EAC; and the nascent Eastern African Access to Justice Network. Among many, many other things!

I am out of words. This is a great loss: to his family, to the Zanzibaris, Tanzanians, East Africans, Africans and the world at large. It is also a great loss to me, and to my family, for he was a mentor and a friend. Prof, in the days to come we will name our children after you; start schools, scholarships and research fellowships in your name; try as much as mere mortals can to immortalize you. But it will never fill the gaping hole in our hearts, the gap in our social fabric or the rapture in our body politic. Or the decent ‘goodbye’ we wish we had.

Buriani. Fare thee well.

Mwenyezi Mungu amlaze mahali pema peponi. May the Almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace.

Kullu nafsi dhaika tul mauti. Innalillahi wainna ilayhi raajiun. (Kila nafsi itaonja mauti. Sote tumetoka Kwake na sote tutarejea Kwake.) .Every soul shall taste death. We surely come from Him and to Him we shall all return.

* Don Deya is chief executive officer of the East Africa Law Society.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.