By Ojoma Ochai
We all celebrate the life of Mrs. Amaka Igwe and share in the collective grief of her passing. My name is Ojoma Ochai.
When I first met Mrs. Amaka Igwe, or (Mrs I) as I called her, I wasn’t prepared for the warmth of her personality or her very welcoming and open spirit. I expected that as a legend (and she was a legend) she would have the usual airs and grace and expected to be treated as such. This was far from the case.
In face I remember the first time she called me a few weeks later we met, my heart beat like ‘Amaka Igwe calling me?’ I must have arrived. I had thought of calling her but I thought nah, you don’t just pick up the phone and call the likes of Amaka Igwe, same way I couldn’t pick up the phone to call I don’t know, Joe Biden, or something even if I had his number.
I could never bring myself to call aunty Amaka because one doesn’t get so familiar with such talent, such genius. To be perfectly honest, I who am probably the most egalitarian person you’ll ever meet, I was in awe of her and her talent and her profile.
She was a generous soul and I was never in doubt where I (or anyone else for that matter) stood with her. Honest and open and warm. Her children were her pride and joy. She talked about them in pride and I was never in doubt that she considered them one of the greatest (if not her greatest) achievements.
We can cry, we can mourn and we will but I know that the greatest tribute we can give Amaka Igwe is to contribute to strive, continue to fight for the ideals that she stood for, continue to develop the industry she believed in and dedicated her life’s work too.
I derive comfort from the fact that she lived a full rich life. Every time I remember her, I tell myself firmly that it’s not about how long she lived but the fact that she lived to the fullest and achieved beyond the number of her years.
For many people, Amaka Igwe was just a name on a screen when the movie credits rolled, but to Charles Igwe and the children, her mum and her other family members, she was a wife, a pillar, mother, daughter, sister, high quality family member.
To many people she was a friend; to others she was an inspiration and a role model. To Charles and the children, I still have no words for comfort. I can only pray for you, that you will be comforted.
Rest in the bosom of our Lord, Aunty Amaka.
