'I just read the article about Fela Sowande. I had the honor of visiting his home in 1986'

[Fela Sowande (1905-1987)]

A visitor named Sue wrote this in the Guest Book at AfriClassical.com on June 2, 2012:

“I just read the article about Fela Sowande. I had the honor of visiting his home in 1986 with an old family friend from Nigeria, and attended his funeral in Ravenna, OH. It seemed sparsely attended for a gentleman of his stature. From: Cleveland, OH”

The Fela Sowande page at AfriClassical.com gives this account of the composer's death and his memorial service in New York:

“Fela Sowande spent his last days in a nursing home in Ravenna, Ohio. He was 82 years old when he died of a stroke on March 13, 1987. [Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma] describes the funeral service: 'A memorial service was held at St. James Episcopal Church in New York on 3 May 1987, at which time Eugene Hancock complied with Sowande's 1965 request by performing his Bury me eas' or wes'. Sowande had received a permanent American visa in 1972 and had become a citizen in 1977.'”

[Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, has written a manuscript on the life and works of Fela Sowande which can be reached via the Fela Sowande page at AfriClassical.com: http://africarts.org/Artists/Sowande.htm]