October 19, 2018
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
8 Comments
What’s In a Name? I read a fascinating piece in The New York Times about names. The current writer of Dear Abby’s column, Jeanne Phillips, advised parents to avoid unusual names for their children. They should use names that are easy … Continue reading
July 3, 2018
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
Comments Off on Two Stories of Justice Denied, Then Restored
Justice Denied, Then Restored In 1848, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, a free Black woman, wrote to Frederick Douglass to say the abolitionists were talking too much. She wanted action, not talk! Douglass had, “asked readers of his North Star newspaper … Continue reading
December 15, 2017
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
2 Comments
Racism Revealed in Video from ADL I had an email from the Antidefamation League, ADL, this week. TEAM Westport and ADL have overlapping interests in addressing racism and other forms of discrimination. The racism revealed in the video, not so … Continue reading
November 1, 2017
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
2 Comments
Things Come Together The blog Brittle Paper had a fascinating article describing an ad for Wikipedia. The ad opens with Igbo flute music. I didn’t know Wikipedia did visual ads like this. The scene is an outdoor classroom, with the British-dressed … Continue reading
October 20, 2017
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
4 Comments
Plentiful Fuel for the Holidays in Nigeria I look forward to the holidays in Nigeria this year. We’ve booked our tickets, told our children, and arranged the security people to accompany us in the village. Yes, for the past few … Continue reading
May 17, 2017
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
Comments Off on Ogbanje, The Repeating Children
Ogbanje, the Repeating Children, or Changlings My second book with the current trial title, When the Kola Nut Reaches Home, describes ogbanje, the “repeating or returning children,” in Igbo traditional belief. Sometimes ogbanje is translated as “changlings.” I first read about … Continue reading
May 13, 2017
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
Comments Off on Okey Ndibe’s Memoir and Its Intriguing Title
Okey Ndibe’s Memoir Never Look an American in the Eye is the title of Okey Ndibe’s memoir. How did he choose the title? He says, Never Look an American in the Eye, A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making … Continue reading
November 2, 2016
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
Comments Off on Feminist and Feminine – We Can Be Both
Feminist and Feminine Chimamanda is making ads for Boots No7 make-up. I like her combination of feminist and feminine. The Americans may not be familiar with Boots. I know the product and the stores from the UK. Boots was started in … Continue reading
January 27, 2016
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
3 Comments
US Commerce Secretary in Nigeria Nigeria is struggling with the low price of oil and what that is doing to foreign exchange. These problems have happened before. The forming of Nigerwives, the organization I helped found in the late 1970’s, … Continue reading
March 14, 2015
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
2 Comments
Mercenaries Fighting Boko Haram? Are South African mercenaries helping Nigerian forces battle Boko Haram? I saw a report in The NYTimes, and then found several other media, including the BBC, talking about the presence of South African and former Soviet Union soldiers … Continue reading