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AfricanLiberty.org joins the rest of the world in paying tribute to Linda Whetstone for her contributions to the advancement of individual and economic freedom across the continent.
As editor of this platform, leading such a tribute comes as an honor. It so happens that my first encounter with the philosophy of freedom (in the classical liberal sense) outside academia was through an outreach co-sponsored by Linda to my campus in 2012. The occasion was a tabling event brought to Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, by African Liberty Students Organization (ALSO), a project of Atlas Network.
Other friends and I sought to address our hunger after an arduous marathon of lectures by walking to the school cafeteria. We found the ALSO table on the way. It offered refreshments and a canopy, providing an escape from the excruciating sun. We would later discover that the intent of ALSO was to distribute a pack of CDs (Ideas for A Free Society) and recruit a pioneer set of students to start a branch on my campus. We left that event having satisfied our bellies and, more importantly, taking with us a few CDs and copies of the book, Why Liberty. The rest is history.
For many young advocates of individual and economic freedom in Africa, Ideas for A Free Society played a crucial role in our philosophical becoming. It has since reached thousands of African students through the efforts of Linda. I hardly ever talked with Linda without her mentioning an ongoing plan to distribute more of the CD across the continent.
Linda also heavily invested in publishing and translating books on classical liberalism into African languages. She believed that these books aid young Africans to reflect on potential indigenous African ideas of freedom.
Equally, one of the many fascinating qualities of Linda is her ability to remember names and details of past encounters that may easily elude the mind of younger colleagues. She demonstrates this in the recording above, as she did on many occasions of our encounter.
Although she may be mortally distanced from us, her love will live in our hearts for the rest of time.
We shall honor her memory by continuing the fight for freedom and extending generosity to others.
The struggle for freedom continues.
Ibrahim B. Anoba, editor, AfricanLiberty.org.