“Do It Quickly” – Onyeka Onwenu’s Memo on How She Wants to Be Buried Reemerges After Death
In a three-year-old opinion piece, veteran Nigerian singer, actress and journalist Onyeka Onwenu outlined how she wanted to be remembered and buried.
The legendary artist, known for her advocacy, was reported dead on Tuesday night, July 30, at Reddington Hospital in Lagos after collapsing at Mrs Stella Okoli’s 80th birthday party.
“Do it quickly, quietly, and privately,” Onwenu wrote in a 2021 editorial piece for Premium Times, underlining the need for a low-key burial.
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She advised her loved ones to “mourn, yes, but not excessively,” and instead celebrate her life via prayers and cheerful moments.
“Celebrate me with prayers, lunch or dinner afterwards. Share some jokes about me and laugh. “Make merriment and then go about your business. If my friends want to celebrate me, they should do so while I am alive, so that I can enjoy it with them, not when I am gone and have no idea about this. That is me, Onyeka Onwenu,” she said.
her message, Onwenu also addressed broader cultural practices, criticising the extravagant displays of wealth commonly seen at Nigerian funerals. The 80’s pop queen compared her personal preferences with Obi Cubana’s mother’s lavish funeral, prompting nationwide debate.
