It is with a profound sense of grief that Inthefray.com notes the death of Philippe Wamba, a member of our Advisory Board and longtime supporter of the magazine.

Philippe was killed last Wednesday in a car accident, as he was traveling from Nairobi to Mombassa, Kenya. He had been working on a series of articles examining the lives of African youth, which had taken him from his native Tanzania to South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. Philippe was interested in how Africans were coping with the pressures associated with globalization, and in the linkages between the African diaspora and Africa.

Philippe's 1999 memoir, Kinship: A Family's Journey in Africa and America, related his own experience as a "bi-continental" person. Born in California, Philippe was raised between Boston, Massachusetts, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His mother, Elaine Brown, was born in Detroit, Michigan, while his father, Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, a leading African intellectual, was born and raised in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and later became the leader of a freedom movement in his home country.

A graduate of Harvard University and the Columbia School of Journalism, Philippe was editor in chief of the Web site Africana.com from 1999 to 2002. He returned to Africa in April to begin work on his new book.

In addition to his parents, Philippe leaves behind two brothers, Kolo of California and James of Tanzania; his fiancee, Marang Setshwaelo of Johannesburg; and numerous other relatives scattered throughout the United States and Africa.

His loss is a deep blow to all of us at Inthefray, and our hearts go out to his family and friends. In his thirty-one years of life, Philippe touched countless people through the exuberance of his personality and the eloquence of his writings. He will be deeply missed.

May you rest in peace, Philippe.

The Editors
Inthefray.com

Please visit the digital memorial for Philippe at Africana.com or the Web page that his friends have set up at pwamba.com.

Philippe Wamba, 1971-2002

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