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Ulli Beier, 88,
the man who was the lever on which what became known as Nigerian
literature took its leap into worldwide recognition, died at the
weekend in Sydney, Australia.

Perhaps more than
anyone else, Mr. Beier epitomised the creative spirit and verve of
Nigerian literature. A German, his sojourn in Nigeria pioneered efforts
in making literature, arts and the humanities in general have the solid
intellectual background and ferment that today typifies our art sector.

Born to a father
who was a medical doctor with a passion for the arts, Mr. Beier left
his home country after World War II. He enrolled at the University of
London and got a degree in Phonetics. It was the degree that later led
to his job at the then newly established University College, Ibadan, in
1955. At Ibadan, he began his extensive work on the Nigerian arts.

Mr. Beier
traversed the whole of the south west collecting, stories, folklore,
materials on culture, arts and literature of the people. He was one of
the first to work with the group of the late Duro Ladipo, and was
responsible for bringing the dramatist to the attention of the world.
As part of his labour of love for promoting arts in Nigeria, he founded
Black Orpheus, a literary magazine that was to become a leading
journal, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa and the black world. It was
in this magazine that many of the continent’s leading writers first had
their initial articles exposed to a wider audience.

Such writers as
Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, John Pepper Clark, the late Christopher
Okigbo and others had their first taste of fame in the Black Orpheus.
Mr. Beier later founded Mbari Artists, and Writers Club, Ibadan, which
was used as another launch pad for artists and writers.

Mr. Beier’s
influence on Nigerian and African arts and culture was not limited to
Nigeria. Even after leaving the country, he never stopped promoting our
country’s art. In the early 80s, he was the founder and director of
Iwalewa Haus, an art centre at the University of Bayreuth in Germany.

Through this
centre, many Nigerian artists were able to travel to Germany on
fellowships and exchange programmes which went a long way to hone their
skills and expose them to the European and world audience.

What is today
known as Osogbo Arts was principally owing to the tireless work of Mr.
Beier and his wife at the time, the late Susan Wenger. The couple wrote
their names in the indelible ink of the culture sector in our country.
Mr. Beier, who reportedly learnt English at 28, went on to translate
many Yoruba writers into English and publish several anthologies of
poems and essays.

Many lovers of
Nigerian literature would remember that Mr. Beier wrote a play under
the pseudonym, Obotunde Ijimere. He was tireless and relentless in his
dogged determination that, except for his pigmentation, he could have
passed for a Nigerian. His devotion and commitment to the Yoruba
language is an example to those who think our indigenous languages are
not worth preserving.

What a sad
commentary on the state of affairs in our country, that a man, who did
so much for our arts sector and contributed to its international ascent
and recognition, never got any state recognition by way of a national
honour or mention .