Eulogizing a Beacon at Dusk
A few hours ago, I heard about the passing of the legendary Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress, author, journalist, politician and more, Onyeka Onwenu. Immediately, I scrolled frantically through the internet to confirm if the news was true or merely another sensational rumour. It was true.
As I would later find out on X, Mama Onyeka passed away after performing at a birthday party yesterday. Since then, and understandably too, people online have expressed sorrow about her passing. I have seen people use words like ‘devastated’, ‘sad’, even ‘tragic’. After spending hours watching her previous performances and interviews, however, I feel anything but that. I neither feel devastated nor sad. Despite the awkwardness of her passing at a party where a life was being celebrated, I do not think of her death as tragic. If anything, I am in awe of the life she lived and the grace with which she exited the world.
Of course, death will always bring with it a rude shock. Undeniably too, the emptiness it leaves in its wake (of the deceased’s personality, laughter, perspective, kindness, etc.) brings with it significant sadness. Even so, I look back on the life that Mama Onyeka lived, full of gratitude for its depth and impact.
There is no denying it, she lived a good, full life. Hard in parts, of course, but full nonetheless, bold, and incredibly remarkable. She lived with an inspiring conviction that never appeared to waiver, not even when she fought private battles that the people who admired her knew nothing about.
She was the woman who entered and owned the spaces she was a part of. Her music is timeless, her acting, commendable, and her journalism, intelligent.
While the sadness that people feel is an inevitable response to her passing, I’ll admonish thinking of her life as a success, a significant one at that, because Mama Onyeka left behind a legacy that cannot be forgotten so easily. So too, we should look on her death with a measure of gratitude because our last image of her is a fitting representation of how she delightfully captured our hearts and ears for decades.
Of her life we can truly say that she has fought the good fight. She finished the race that was set before her, bidding us adieu with a joyful renditon of One Love which, if we heed, will keep us together no matter our differences in tribe and tongue.
For Onyeka Onwenu (1952–2024),
I hope to be your kind of exceptional.
