DE NJE (My Mother)

The title means “my mother” in Irigwe, my local dialect spoken by Miango people from Bassa Local Government, in Plateau State, Nigeria. I painted this because I am just amazed at the love my mom feels for me. My mother has been a source of inspiration unlike any other mother. She has been life my eyes, seeing what I can’t see. She will go the whole night praying for me. I hear her. She prays that God should protect me, that he should bless me. Even when I am asleep, she is working hard to see that my life becomes better. She is very wise, and she knows life very well. She does everything to make sure that I have anything I want that is positive. She won’t sleep if I don’t sleep. When I am sick she is sick too. When I am crying she always wants to know why. The nje in this piece is backing a baby. I am not a baby anymore, but I think this is where that bond starts. Nigerian women tie their babies on their backs when they are working, or when the child is upset. For the child, his mother’s back is his comfort zone. From birth until he is 2 or 3, this is where he spends most of his time. When he cries, or gets hurt, or becomes sleepy, this is where he goes. He knows that when he sees mom taking out her wrapper, that piece of cloth she always uses, he will soon be in that safe place. I think that by the time we grow too big to be backed, that bond is already strong. We love our mothers.