Uche Okeke Turns 80

When we started planning a small intimate gathering for our father, artist, academic, scholar, poet, writer, cultural activist, environmentalist, son, brother, father, uncle, grandfather, and cousin - we never expected what we got in the end.

Sunday 28th April was a spectacular event imbued with the spirit of warmth, camaraderie, relaxation, enjoyment, joy and love. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Our father was surprised, overcome and overjoyed. People came from near and far, the children, grandchildren, closest friends, colleagues in the arts, students, mentees, executives from the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), which was founded by Uche Okeke.

It is extremely heart warming to see the number of people that love my father, we were overwhelmed by the support. My father has always been someone that believes in community and lives on the premise of  the power of many working towards a common goal for the betterment of the entire group. This is one of the things I learned from him. He is a good man, a great man, not a saint but a truly fantastic and extraordinary human being.

I am so happy that we were able to celebrate this truly significant milestone in a way that brought joy and happiness to my father's heart.

HAPPY 80TH DAD, YOU ROCK!!!

Life is what happens with or without your participation

I consider myself lucky to be surrounded by a wealth of love and support from friends, family even people I don't really know. Every time things get sticky I can count on close friends and family. As the popular saying goes "he who has people is extremely rich". You cannot buy that kind of support and I am very grateful that I have these people and I hope they know they can count on me no matter what.

I value my family and friends a lot because I think that we cannot exist without the people that love, encourage and support us throughout this journey called life. And as I learn more about life through my own experiences and that of others, I treasure these connections even more and I am thankful to God for blessing me with the people around me. My prayer is that they are all well-rewarded and blessed abundantly. I also learned this lesson largely from my father, in his quiet way he has cultivated really great friendships as well as professional relationships. And the goodwill he built is what has sustained us throughout the period of his ill-health. I am constantly surprised by the many generous gestures over the past couple of years.

Going it alone bravely...

My baby went to school alone for the first time without her sitter yesterday and today. And she was alright, I was a little worried about this transition but she keeps on surprising me. I think she was ready to assert her independence to explore her world and gain new experiences. All I can say is you go girl!! She has a wonderful personality, very endearing and engaging and she's a very likable individual. I am so very proud of her. We had a really nice day on Sunday with a long lost friend of mine that I had reunited with earlier in the year. It was very relaxed and chilled, he made a lovely meal with some meat on the braai stand and it was lekker.

This week though I feel like a mini-bus cab driver, now I get the whole driving kids around the entire day syndrome. It's exhausting and time-consuming but them kids gotta get to where they gotta get to right? Being a mom is not so bad, in fact it is an amazing experience and I find myself giving her a tight hug or raining kisses on her little face and she's so cute!! Okay maybe I am biased, she's my kid after all.

So another week slowly draws to an end and I am happy to say that due to the wise counsel of a friend, I apologized to my colleague and things are much better at work. I hated the tense atmosphere, I literally got a sick feeling in my stomach every time I drove into work. I would like to know what's going on in her mind though.

I attended this really interesting workshop on audience development today and I will be going back for the last session tomorrow. I am chuffed I was able to participate. Thanks Karen!!!

The Good, the bad and the ugly...

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster both personally and at work. I had a very interesting encounter with my colleague at work and I was really amazed at what transpired and how both of us had totally opposing interpretations and perceptions of what happened. It also revealed a number of things to me that I was quite uncomfortable with. I really don't know what to think but it left me feeling off-kilter all week. Even though I was not attacked or hurt in anyway but the loss of my personal items and the feeling of being violated was still the same as anyone who had been hijacked or had a break in would have felt surprisingly.

But there were also highlights, my baby started going to the creche for a test run and she seems to be doing okay, so I'm really chuffed about that. She's grown so much in the past 4 weeks and it's so wonderful to see. I can't even imagine my life without her now. She brightens up my day. And I got accepted for the British Council workshops next week. I got a free holiday voucher as well, that is so cool. I am not one of those people that easily wins freebies so it's great to win something.

Today was a good day, my god daughter came with my good friend, her mum and my best friend came by as well. We had great fun, my baby certainly did. So another week passes by and it's all good.