Leading Africa specialist Kaye Whiteman is dead
By Henry D Gombya
Kaye Whiteman who had made Africa his speciality and knew almost everyone on the continent worth knowing.
We are sad to announce the death of our colleague and dear friend Kaye Whiteman who died suddenly in London on Monday morning. Tributes are coming in from many of his friends especially those in the Commonwealth Journalists Association London Branch as well as his friends and colleagues in Nigeria.
This writer last saw Kaye at our last meeting of the Executive Committee of the CJA, London Branch where we shared banter and a glass of wine at Derek Ingram’s house. He looked quite health and as usual, was bubbling with all kinds of ideas about what to write about and where he was next heading for yet another exotic assignment. One of his closest friends, Kayode Soyinka, publisher of the Africa Today Group, has written a moving tribute to Kaye which we reproduce here in full:
“This sad – very, very sad – news of Kaye Whiteman’s death just reached me while in Nigeria where I am presently. I spoke with him a few days ago before I left London for this trip. And my wife just told me this morning when I broke the shocking news to her that he even called me at our UK home on the morning of my departure on the 8th. We produced the June edition of Africa Today together. And he invited me to a CJA meeting at the House of Commons, which unfortunately I couldn’t attend.
Kaye was a distinguished journalist and editor who, over five decades, developed an immense knowledge of Africa and reported on African Affairs for the international media, including our newsmagazine – AFRICA TODAY, where he was for many years a Contributing Editor. His contributions in Africa Today are usually masterpieces. He was for years deputy editor and eventually editor of the renowned West Africa Magazine. He appropriately took over as editor of West Africa from the legendary David Williams. Whiteman was Williams’ protégé. He did his tutelage on Nigeria under Williams. He had covered the Nigerian civil war as a young reporter for The Times of London. He was a repository of African history. He knew something about nearly anyone who had served in public service in any African country.