Barbadian Poet Edward Kamau Brathwaite Dies at 89

Barbadian poet, Edward Kamau Brathwaite who is hailed for his contribution to Caribbean poetry and language, died at the age of 89 at his home in Barbados.

Credited for his essays, poems, and other literary work to represent Caribbean people and their African roots, Kamau was his adopted name for literature. He was born as Lawson Edward Brathwaite in 1930, during British colonial rule in Bridgetown.

The acclaimed poet is best known for his works The Arrivants: A New World Trilogy, Ancestors, Born to Slow Horses, and Elegguas. He also won various literary awards including Guggenheim Fellowship, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Gold Musgrave Medal for Literature from the Institute of Jamaica, and Cuba’s Casa de las Americas Prize.

“His chronicling of our past through his magnificent works shone a powerful light on the realities of our present and, in turn, guided our sense of self and national identity,” Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said as she honored the late poet.