Lemuel Adolphus Johnson (15 December 1941 – 12 March 2002), was a

Sierra Leonean The demographics of Sierra Leone are made up of an indigenous population from 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the south are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra L ...

professor, poet, and writer who was based at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Early life

Lemuel Adolphus Johnson was born on 15 December 1941 to

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people () are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated African slaves who ...

parents in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Johnson was raised with a strong awareness of his Creole heritage and this would emerge as a feature of his literary works, notably in ''The Sierra Leone Trilogy.'' His grandfather, Reverend Canon S.S. Williams, was a

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at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Freetown and part of Johnson's family had ancestral roots in Regent Village in the Colony of Sierra Leone.

Education

Johnson was educated at the Sierra Leone Grammar School and in 1960 he received the highest scores in all West Africa on the Cambridge University Higher School Certificate examinations. In 1965, Johnson graduated with a degree in Modern Languages from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

and an M.A. in

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from the

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in 1966. Johnson subsequently earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from the

in 1968. Johnson was appointed as an assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan in 1966 and was eventually promoted to a full professorship. Between 1985 and 1991, Johnson was a Director of the Center for Afro American and African Studies at the University of Michigan. Professor Johnson was appointed a Professor investigador at the Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City, and intermittently taught at

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-le ...

at the

University of Sierra Leone The University of Sierra Leone is the name of the former unitary public university system in Sierra Leone. Established in February 1827, it is the oldest university in Africa. As of May 2005, the University of Sierra Leone was reconstituted into ...

, at the Faculty of Literature at the Salzberg Seminar, and as a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Oberlin College.

Academic memberships and associations

Johnson was elected as the president of the African Literature Association and served in this role from 1977 to 1978. Johnson was also the Vice President of the Association of Caribbean Studies between 1983 and 1985, and he served on the Africa Committee of the Social Science Research Council between 1985 and 1990.

Literary works

Johnson published several literary works such as ''The Devil, the Gargoyle, & the Buffoon: The Negro as Metaphor in Western Literatures'' in 1970 and ''Shakespeare in Africa & Other Venues: Import and the Appropriation of Culture'' in 1998. He also published a translation of Rafael Alberti's play, 'Night & War in the Prado Museum' in 1969 into English from the Spanish. John also published a ''Sierra Leone Trilogy'' in 1995, which consisted of three volumes of poetry entitled ''Highlife for Caliban'', ''Hand on the Navel'', and ''Carnival of the Old Coast''.

Awards

Johnson received several awards at the

, including the Steelcase Research Professorship at the Institute for the Humanities, the Faculty Recognition Award, a Recognition Award from the Center for Afro-American and African Studies, and a Certificate of Distinction for Outstanding Teaching.

Personal life

Lemuel Johnson married Marian Yankson, a

in 1965 and the couple had two children, Yma Johnson and Yshelu Johnson. Lemuel Johnson was fluent in several languages including Krio, the ''de facto'' national language of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

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an languages such as

, Portuguese,

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, and

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and African languages such as Yoruba,

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

, and

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

Death

Johnson died on 12 March 2002 after suffering from stomach cancer.

Published works

*''The Devil, the Gargoyle, & the Buffoon: The Negro as Metaphor in Western Literatures'' (1970) *''Sierra Leone Trilogy'' (1995) *''Shakespeare in Africa & Other Venues: Import and the Appropriation of Culture'' (1998)

References

Lemuel A. Johnson (1941-2002)Lemuel A. Johnson papers, 1942-2002 - University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Finding AidsLemuel A. Johnson papers, 1942-2002 - University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Finding Aids
*http://141.213.90.105/faculty/lemuel-johnson/memorial

* ttps://quod.lib.umich.edu/g/gefame/4761563.0001.102/--aspects-of-african-diaspora-blood-letting-or-transfusion?rgn=main;view=fulltext Aspects of African Diaspora: Blood Letting or Transfusion? {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Lemuel 1941 births 2002 deaths Academic staff of Fourah Bay College Oberlin College alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Sierra Leone Creole people Sierra Leonean male poets Sierra Leonean writers University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty