Ihuoma Okorie's Blog

Image source: emblems-gifts.co.uk  Sometimes, the British are shocked, surprised or amused by 'English' Nigerian names and in all honesty, their surprise does not surprise me. Liberty, Patience, God's Light and Sweet Melody are some of my personal favourites. Last week, I met Patience in the bathroom of a club and I said hi to her, she looked at me and asked 'where are you from?'. We both knew that I did not have to answer this question, nor did she have to ask, because she must have seen from the way my body moved, from the way my hair was braided and from the rise and fall of my intonation that I am Nigerian. For me, it was the way she smiled that gave her away; in the soothing 'Nigerian Mother' way. So I asked the more appropriate question, 'which part of Nigeria are you from?', 'Edo'. Somehow, she could tell that I am Igbo. My friends stood outside the door waiting for me but I knew that they would have to wait a little longe

Image source: The Huffington Post The world knows about your pain, the earth realises your hurt and it will not stop in its rotation to acknowledge your suffering. But the first time you felt the earth slow down, the first time you encountered love, you were 12 and you first saw it through the blinds that cordoned off your play area from Aunty B's office. Through these same blinds, on other occasions, you have seen the bags of rice, the boxes of golden morn and capri-sonne that grew higher as visitors came in but always somehow diminished when Aunty B went home for the weekend or when her friends came to visit. On that day, the stacks of provisions were particularly high after a couple had left. Aunty B was in high spirits. You and your 'brothers and sisters' stood and watched as the couple drove away, and for a split second you saw the woman's eyes meet yours, as the man you presumed was her husband walked ahead of her... was she absolutely revolted by the rag