Afua
“[One thing I know for sure is] that we are all manifestations of God’s love.”
Dr. Afua Cooper is a full-time professor in History/Sociology and Social Anthropology, with her field of expertise being in Black History, at Dalhousie University. She is also a poet and author of five books, and was Halifax’s poet laureate from April 2018-April 2020. When she has time to herself she loves “reading non-fiction, poetry, and fiction, taking long walks, hanging out with friends and family, engaging in Quranic tafsir, and reading about Sufism and sufi masters.” Her favourite place to find herself is “in deep silences, in practicing the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), and meditating by the water (ocean, rivers, lakes), walking in nature, viewing works of art.” When I asked Afua what’s most important to her, she told me, “honouring truth. Honouring the commitments I made to myself, family, and colleagues, striving to live taqwa and ubada.” Afua’s list of academic and artistic accomplishments are extensive. When I asked Afua what accomplishments stand out to her, she told me, “personally, my proudest accomplishment is my three children. Professionally, there are many proud moments. When I became full professor, and poet laureate that was awesome. When my book The Hanging of Angelique was named a Canadian classic, I was moved. I recently won the 2020 Portia White Award for Artistic Excellence for my body of work. For that, I was deeply moved and honoured.” When I asked Afua what the most challenging experience she’s gone through was, she told me, “When my husband died unexpectedly, my grief was profound. Seeing my kids in such great sorrow made mine even more intense. Time truly is a great healer, as is Allah’s Shifaa, Hakim, Wadud, Salaam, Halim, and Aziz.” Afua told me what inspires her the most is “the courage and fierceness of the youth. #Blacklivesmatter would not happen if not for the courage of the youth. They have changed the world for the better.”
Q&A Feature:
What is your favourite quality about yourself?
“My sense of humour, patience and steadfastness.”
What is a fun fact about you that you haven’t told me yet?
“I love opera. Kathleen Battle is just my favourite opera singer. I love the art of Van Gogh and Claude Monet, and Jacob Lawrence. I get breathless when I read the poetry of Rumi. Nazim Hikmet, Sue Goyette, Nikki Giovanni, and Kamau Brathwaite are also among my favourite poets. Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler are my go to novelists.”
What is your biggest hope?
“That we as people will one day see that we are all one humanity, and that we are each other’s keeper. We are also keeper of the earth, and we must now act to prevent further atrocities committed against her. I hope that we all see that global warming is a reality and we have to move fast to stop further warming.”
