Begin Again

New Beginning

Toward the end of 2021 I met an Igbo man. I was in the jewelry store named Pellegrini after the two owners. It was on my way back from Tamala’s Hair Salon on Washington Street in Norwalk CT. I walk there, since it’s not far from my apartment.

I was spelling and saying my name, Onyemelukwe, to the lady who was writing up my order. She  asked where it was from. The man standing near me, said, “I’m Igbo! You’ve said the name correctly! I can’t believe it!”

I was even more surprised! He was waiting for Mr. Pellegrini to do some repairs to his daughter’s watch. Over the next 15 minutes, I got a quick update. His name is Emeka, his surname is Enu. He is from Anambra State. He didn’t remember Nanka but noticed its location near Agulu.

He lives in Wilton, not far from here. His father is still working at 81! Emeka takes regular trips to host medical missions for his dad. His wife goes with him on these trips. She is also Igbo and grew up in Kaduna.

I just learned yesterday that her parents were married, with Bishop Jonathan presiding!

As we walked back to his car, I got further updates from him. And by the time we reached his car, I decided to visit them in their house on Saturday afternoon!

I will certainly go back to their home again. They have 2 children, age 7 and 5. They are a lovely couple. She is a podiatrist, having completed her residency for foot surgery at Yale New Haven. He is a medical specialist for a pharmaceutical company.

I couldn’t upload the two images. They are too large! (I’m sorry, Chioma!)

And I will try to write my blog every 8 days! That’s the new beginning I talked about!

News from Nigeria

I asked my children for suggestions on updating my blog! Sam said, “Why not highlight a Nigerian place?” So I decided to talk about Nanka because it’s first among places I value.

It is a town in Igbo land. It is difficult to describe the population; I would guess maybe 60,000? The villages are divided into 7. Ours is Enugwu, also sometimes called Enugwu Nanka.

Just listen to the sound of most of the other villages in Nanka; they are like music! Agbiligba, Ifite, Amako, and Umudala. There are two I don’t recognize; they are less well-known. The men are from one of the villages in Nanka.

The village of Enugwu has 23 clans. Each is related to an ancestor called Ezekisiri; ours is number 7. And our clan has many sub-groups. I am familiar with the name Obinato. This is the name given when the clan meets!

The header over the list of villages is “Accepted Order of Taking Shares in Agbiligba.” The same header could be given for any of the other six villages.

Try to imagine any of the villages, towns, or cities within southern Nigeria. Each has its own list of places within it. And each has its own hierarchy, though people within each one may vary the emphasis over which is most important. I will certainly talk to Sam Ogbuju about the list and how he created it.

I haven’t talked about Nanka and its place in the world! I imagine it’s a very tiny spot! But people who come from Nanka are well known in the country, including my cousin Jonathan who was Archbishop of Anambra in the 1990s and early 2000s. The picture is from a priest after Jonathan’s days.

These days the people who are well known come from the government, with Dora, whose last name I have forgotten, the best known recently.