Westport Library Hosts Book Launch for Catherine Onyemelukwe March 7

Author, blogger, speaker, and Westporter, Catherine Onyemelukwe, will celebrate the release of her new book, Breaking Kola: An Inside View of African Customs, on Thursday, March 7 at The Westport Woman’s Club, 44 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT, at 7:00 pm. The event is hosted by the Westport Library, co-sponsored by TEAM Westport, and is free to the public. There will be an author talk and the ceremony of breaking kola, followed by a book signing.

Catherine Onyemelukwe joined the Peace Corps in 1962, then headed to her teaching assignment in Nigeria. She was a young Midwestern woman, full of excitement, anticipation, and curiosity about the unknown as she set out to make the world a better place. What she didn’t realize was that Nigeria, instead, would make her a better person. Catherine first chronicled her twenty-four years living in Nigeria in her memoir, Nigeria Revisited: My Life and Loves Abroad. It’s a passionate story of multiculturalism, family, and how she changed from a naive Peace Corps volunteer to an experienced educator, parent, and entrepreneur. Her years there led her to her Nigerian husband, Clement, and created an unbreakable bond to the complicated country she loves to this day.

Her follow up work, Breaking Kola, has a more specific slant as its focus is on the unique customs of Nigeria and Africa at large. The sign of hospitality -- the actual “breaking” 

of kola nuts -- is an act of respect and hospitality carried out by the Igbo people, her husband’s ethnic group. It’s said “the kola nut does not speak or understand any other language except Igbo, and believed that he who brings kola brings life, and all who partake in the breaking and eating share life, blessings and community.” It has become a familiar and beloved ritual for Catherine and one that will be conducted at the book launch, led by two Igbo chiefs, Chukwudi Dikko and Paulinus Odigbo, both longtime Connecticut residents. Breaking Kola also includes intriguing stories about Catherine’s Nigerian in-laws, other clan members, and tales of her husband in his younger years. The author explores the breaking of kola nuts and many other customs that connect those in an African setting.

“I’m thrilled to share new stories of my life abroad, this time specifically reflecting on traditions representative of Africa. Breaking Kola is the celebration of my continued connection with Nigeria, filled with vivid anecdotes about African society and culture readers won’t soon forget. I welcome all to this exciting launch and am grateful to the Westport Library and TEAM Westport for their enthusiastic support,” said Onyemelukwe.

Catherine is a popular speaker on Nigeria’s history, current life, and traditions. She is an advocate for cross-cultural understanding and racial justice and blogs regularly on these topics at her website, www.catherineonyemelukwe.com. She is a board member of The Unitarian Church in Westport, where she lives with her husband, and of the US National Committee for UN Women. Catherine is also a member of TEAM Westport, the town’s multicultural committee. The author can be booked for author talks and speaking engagements through her publicist, Aline Weiller, at wordsmithllc@optonline.net.

Details on the Breaking Kola book launch event can be found on the Westport Library website, https://westportlibrary.org/events/author-catherine-onyemelukwe-breaking-kola.

 

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Submitted by Westport, CT

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