Ngozi Akande

Olaoma
This work is about Olama, a young woman in an Igbo community in Nigeria, and her experience with the widowhood practice after the death of her husband. When a husband dies, it is believed that the wife killed him. She is subjected to all sorts of humiliation, like shaving of her head, drinking the water used for bathing the dead husband and locking her up in a dark room with little or no food. These widows always go to a river to cry and pray to God to take away their pain. Olaoma in her own case refused to be humiliated. She still went to the river side to cry and pray. In times of Loss, only faith, hope and trust can bring consolation. Nature heals.

Uncertainty
Children in Northeast Nigeria suffer loss every day, either through insurgents or bandits, even worse than Covid 19. These children are in IDP camps without their parents, who were killed by insurgents. Their future is uncertain because of the loss of their benefactors. My visit to the camp drove me to tears seeing them in this state. No good food, decent accommodation and other amenities.

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© Ngozi Akande