John Hunwick, Esteemed Scholar of Islam and Africa, Dies at 78

EVANSTON, Ill.—Northwestern University Professor Emeritus John Owen Hunwick, who discovered a treasure trove of historic Arab literature stored in trunks in Timbuktu, Mali, died April 1 at his home in Skokie. He was 78.
Hunwick was a pioneering and world-renowned scholar of Islam and Africa who worked to change the perception that Africa was a continent lacking written records, a hallmark of civilization. The significance was akin to the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a colleague told the Chicago Tribune in 2001.

“There’s a lot more to Africa than song and dance,” Hunwick told reporters after finding the precious documents.

His startling and monumental 1999 discovery included 3,000 manuscripts, ranging from letters and fragments of works, to complete books covering a range of subjects, including theology, jurisprudence and history.

“His lifelong work and passion was in uncovering the manuscripts of Timbuktu that have proven to the world that Africans have indeed written their own history and that ‘Arabic is the Latin of Africa’,” said his wife, Uwa. “He was very committed to his work and liked everybody—all the human races. He was a very gentle person and very humorous; he made puns of almost every word.”

Hunwick suffered a stroke in 2000, but never let physical limitations slow him down, Uwa said. “His left hand and left leg were both affected but he continued to write a big, mighty book, with one finger,” she said. Hunwick also kept traveling on his own, returning to Mali and Timbuktu, where he was well-known and well-loved.

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