Because I am now always home, I went into my garage and discovered a body of about ten large paintings dating to 1993.
This is one of them.
I just painted and rolled up the canvases, and forgot about them.
You really have to spend a lot of time to visually excavate them. There are so many things buried into the body of the colors.
Artist: Moyo Okediji
Title: Farewell
Medium: acrylic on canvas.
Date: June 1994.
Rape?
That was the last thing on my mind although it was clear to me there was something amiss about Gina. I was lost for words. My body felt numb.
It was an experience I could not imagine as a man. All I could think of was how humiliating it must have felt for a person you didn’t want to pin you down and force entry into your body.
I sat there for a long time and could not utter a word. I could not find any statement of consolation to bring calm to Gina. She looked paralyzed. It seemed the best thing to do at the moment was not to say anything. Perhaps by not saying anything, I could pretend it did not happen.
The community protested and shut down the noises of the Christian church that has been harassing us for the past one month, keeping us up all night long, making it impossible for us to catch a moment of sleep.
PARABLE OF THE BOASTFUL BIRD One upon a time, a colorful bird known as Orofo was sad because she did not have even a single child. All the other birds, including Ega, Alapandede, and Eyele had lots of children. Orofo was worried.Sometimes she would lay many eggs, and none of them would hatch. At other times, as she pushed the eggs out of her womb, they would fall from her nest and break.
Is it merely a coincidence that the news of the abduction and assassination by suspected Fulani invaders of Oba Israel Adeusi, the Olufon of Ifon, happened the very same day that the United States is celebrating the annual Thanksgiving event?
There is no coincidence in history.
Nature times things with organic orchestration.
Artist: Moyo Okediji
Title: Wole Soyinka’s OGUN ABIBIMAN
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Date: 2018
Awam Amkpa
Oladejo Okediji–who happens to be my father, is the oldest living writer in the Yoruba language.
He is 89 this year.
He is pictured here with the cover of his first novel, Àjà Ló Lẹrù, published in 1969.
Baba is still pretty prolific. His latest book, Ohùn Ẹnu Àgbà, came out this year. It is a collection of his poems.