/'hose sudden passing was announced as 1996 drew 
towards a close, was a critic and writer with wide interests and strong opinions who 
shouldered diverse responsibilities. He died at the height of his powers, having just been 
given new responsibilities and 'when 
looking forward to tackling new 
projects. 
Hailing from Western Ghana, with links 
to Half Asini and Tarkwa, Agovi was a student 
of English at the University of Ghana, Legon, 
towards the end of the Sixties. Then known as 
'Jim' Agovi, he was a resident of Mensah 
Sarbah Hall and a member of a talented 
undergraduate year. As a student in a Department 
just beginning to rethink the role of literary 
studies in an African university, he benefited 
from the presence in the University of Kofi Mensah, Ime 
Ikkideh and Abiola Irele, each of whom had started to 
make an impact as a writer or critic. 
1 979 he earned his doctorate from the University 
of Ghana with a thesis submitted to the 
Institute of African Studies, entitled 'Kundum: 
Festival Drama among the Ahanta-Nzema of 
South West Ghana.' 
Periods lecturing, mostly in African Stud- Agovi 
Kofi 
ies, Legon, but also elsewhere, including the 
University of Calabar, were combined with 
opportunities to travel beyond the sub-region 
Remembering 
After graduating with a good degree, Kofi Agovi 
proceeded to the University of Stirling to undertake further 
studies. There, under the supervision of Robin 
Mayhead, he wrote an MA thesis on novels of 
social change that was subsequently published 
in Ghana. On his return to Legon, Agovi's 
interest shifted from fiction to drama, and in 
As can be seen from his essay 'Cultural Presence in 
Japanese Theatres: An African's Experience of Noh, 
Kabuki and Bunraku' published in 1984, Japan and 
Inpancac ilieuhical Traditions mude u deep impression 
on him. He spent extended periods in the United States 
of America and continued to travel whenever possible. 
Shortly before his death he spent time in Norway. 
Agovi's concerns, reflected in the publications that 
earned him a professorship, included interest in major 
issues and he made trenchant contributions to important 
debates. Titles of particular significant essays include: 'Is 
there an African Vision of Tragedy in Contemporary 
African Theatre?'; 'The Aesthetics of Creative Communication 
in African Performance Studies'; 'The Philosophy 
of Communication in Traditional Ghanaian Society: The 
Literary and Dramatic Evidence'; 'New Directions in The 
Ghanaian Theatre of the Eighties' and 'Towards an 
Authentic African Theatre.' 
Agovi was also concerned about the operation of 
African Quarterly 
on the Arts 
GLENDORA •.»-. Vol. 2/No. 1
the mass media - of which he had 
first-hand experience. A selection of 
his writings in this field were collected 
together in a volume entitled 
Ruling a Sovereign People published 
in 1980. 
In the life of Kofi Agovi research, 
teaching and public affairs 
were combined with academic administrative 
tasks and to these were 
added numerous other responsibilities. 
In 1994 he proved himself as 
the organiser of an international conference 
in Accra and it seemed likely 
that further opportunities for similar 
endeavours would present themselves. 
Shortly before his death, he 
was confirmed as Director of the 
Institute of African Studies, Legon, 
and many looked forward to the 
day when he might become the 
Vice-Chancellor of the University 
of Ghana. 
At the beginning of 1 996, in 
his capacity as Acting Director of 
the Institute of African Studies, he 
wrote a moving tribute for Mrs 
Efua Sutherland. No one can have 
anticipated that at the end of the 
year, the much younger Kofi Agovi 
would also 'dance and join the 
ancestors.' His passing leaves 
many hopes unfulfilled, and a distraught 
family to whom he was 
devoted. It also leaves those who 
knew him with vivid memories of a 
strong personality and great abilities. 
These will not fade. GR Kofi Agovi 
UZO EGONU - An African Artist in the West 
By Olu Oguibe 
Available at all 
GLENDORA 
BOOK SHOP 
outlets 
This insightful study is the most sophisticated 
and intensive full-length analysis of 
a modern African visual artist. 
- Simon Ottenberg, 
University of Washington, Seattle, USA. 
African Quarterly 
on the Arts 
This monograph is a timely intervention in 
the prevailing debates on the role, position 
and aesthetic concerns of the African artist 
in the contemporary world... 
- THIRD TEXT (Autumn, 1996) 
Vol. Z/No. 1 GLENDORA.