I woke up at past 1 am, logged on to Twitter to check how my BBnaija season 9 tweets were doing, and got the shock of my life. Onyeka Onwenu was dead. It was all over my timeline. Thinking it was fake news, I rushed to check the major news houses to see if it was true. Lo and behold, ‘The Elegant Stallion’ had indeed fallen.
A wave of nostalgia washed through my body, as my mind took me back to the living room of my parent’s house where my siblings and I would dance around the center table as my dad played her records from our Sony Cassette player. We would move our bodies to her records and chant along to them even though we didn’t know all the words.
Read more: Remembering Onyeka Onwenu’s Role In Chimamanda’s Movie Adaptation, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’.My mind also took me back to the present when I remembered her performance in the movie adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s novel “Half of a Yellow Sun” co-starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Gboyega, Thandie Newton, and Genevieve Nnaji. In the film, she portrayed the maternal figure of Mama, the Mother of the main character Odenigbo, Played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of the main characters.
Onyeka Onwenu’s portrayal of Mama in “Half of a Yellow Sun” was a tour de force. Her role as Mama in “Half of a Yellow Sun” was a testament to her versatility as an actress. Her character was a constant presence throughout the film, providing a maternal anchor amidst the chaos of the Nigerian Civil War. While the exact number of scenes featuring her character is difficult to pinpoint without a full rewatch as I write this albeit hurriedly, her impact on the narrative was undeniable. Her performance was widely acclaimed for its authenticity.
Her portrayal captured the resilience and dignity of a woman grappling with both personal and collective struggles, like the typical African Mother. And Onyeka Onwenu’s ability to help convey the quiet strength and vulnerability of Mama brings a nuanced perspective to the film. I remember watching the film and wondering why her character was given more scenes because she had the best performance of all the actors and actresses who appeared in the picture.
As I look back now in grief, I realize what she brought to that role that made it unforgettable. It was excellence. Even with the little opportunity to appear in the adaptations of Chimamanda’s best-selling novel to date. It is this same excellence that has reverberated through her career as a famous singer in Africa, as a broadcaster on TV and radio, and as a politician who strived to make an impact among her people.
We look back today to a life well lived, broken into decades of experiences where Nigerians were able to relate to whatever she was in that time and moment.
Onyeka Onwenu was a beautiful and precious gem whose time on earth will never be forgotten and I am glad that she passed doing the thing she loved the most. Serenading a crowd. Good night, the Stallion of Africa.