The view through my father's eyes

I pronounce myself very fortunate to have been fathered by an individual with a very broad view of life and people. There was no differentiation between my sister and I and our brothers. My father has a healthy respect for the individual - male or female. I think he derived this from growing up with a mother who was very strong in character. A woman with only elementary level schooling who single-handedly brought up seven children, ensured they all had a good education and most unusual for that time encouraged her first son to pursue his love for art. 

My grandmother fondly known as 'Mama Nimo', but born Monica Mgboye Okoye until she married my grandfather and became an Okeke, could be terrifying. I daresay she was quite scary to a lot of people until you got closer to her. She did not suffer fools and was very forthright with her opinions. With her you certainly knew where you stood. I loved her because she had an innate wisdom and vision. You could discuss anything with her because her finger was always on the pulse. She always knew what was happening in the country be it political or otherwise.

Most of all she supported my father's dreams until her death in 1995. There was never a dull moment with her, she challenged you every step of the way, and she was an incredibly talented midwife and homeopath. She was extremely intelligent and savvy. In a lot of ways my sister reminds me of her, the same strength of character and wisdom, but a much nicer version of Mama Nimo. This is the woman who brought up my father after his father died. My father was ten years old when my grandfather passed away from a heart attack.

I would have loved to meet my grandfather, he came from an artistic family, a family of artisans. He worked for the railways up in Kafanchan in the Northern part of Nigeria, where my father was born. He was a young man when he died. My father's sketches, drawings and paintings between the mid to late 50s into the 60s reflect his childhood years in the North.