War torn and desperate Janine waits behind a wall of grief
The fractured glass on her windowpane reflects her bitter tears
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We are living a famine of peace in our time. Let’s think of how many places in the world are scourged by war, in particular of war-torn Ukraine. Let us roll up our sleeves and continue to pray for peace!
Pope Francis Nov 20 2022
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Janine is a fictional person I use to try to tell the story of Ukraine in my poems and art work. This story, as painful as it is, must be kept alive.
Notes On Grief by award winning author Chimamanda Adichie, is a moving essay on the death of her beloved father on June 10, 2020, during the pandemic. It is comprised of thirty short sections ranging in length from a paragraph to a few pages.
The author’s family is a multinational family with deep roots in Nigeria and branches in America and the U.K. At the beginning of the pandemic, her father and mother lived in the family ancestral home of Abba, Nigeria, two siblings lived in the capital city of Lagos, Nigeria, a brother lived in the U.K., and two other siblings lived in America. Mrs. Adichie also lived in America with her husband and daughter.
Once the lockdown began, going back to Nigeria, to be with her ailing father, became impossible. Zoom calls had to suffice. You can imagine the pain and horror of watching her ailing Dad become increasingly ill, without being able to visit, console, and support, something many other folks faced, and another grim side to the pandemic.
The thirty sections in the book each evoke a moving vignette of the author’s world, particularly in relation to her father. Chimamanda Adichie and her father were very close and each sketch, in its own way, makes this clear.
We also get some insights on Nigeria and Nigerian culture, family life, and the entire experience of grieving during the pandemic.
Altogether, Notes On Grief, is truly a beautiful book and well worth reading. And though the death of a parent is always heart-wrenching, in my experience, the opportunity also exists for the remaining members of the family to grow closer together, celebrating the life of their parent, and rediscovering and renewing their own family ties.
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