Saturday, February 2, 2013

Blast from the Past: Awolowo and HID on Wedding Day

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This picture is an amazing memorabilia. It's of of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife HID Awolowo on their wedding day, 26th December, 1937. Most of us know about Awo's political exploits, but less about his wife. She looks so meek and mild here, right? But she went on to be just as ambitious and achieveing as her famous husband. And she lives on.

A few days after her 92nd birthday [she's now 97] she granted an interview talking about the first days after she met her late husband, around 1934. “In those days,” she recalled, “a man would propose to you in writing. Obafemi wrote a letter to me that he was in love with me and wanted to marry me.” [How sweet :)]

Wisdom teaches that women are like diplomats. Do not expect a straight answer from them to such a request. They would never say yes. They would say “No” when they actually mean “Maybe” and “Maybe” when they mean “Yes.” So it was that young Hannah said “No” which late graduated to a “Maybe.” At this point, young Obafemi knew he had won the battle.