Dillibe Onyeama | |
---|---|
![]() Onyeama in 2016 | |
Born | Charles Dillibe Onyeama 6 January 1951 |
Died | 10 November 2022 Enugu, Nigeria | (aged 71)
Education | Eton College |
Occupation(s) | Author
Publisher and Journalist |
Notable work | Nigger at Eton (1972) |
Children | 6 |
Parent | Charles Onyeama (father) |
Relatives | Geoffrey Onyeama (brother)[1] |
Charles Dillibe Ejiofor Onyeama (6 January 1951 – 10 November 2022) was a Nigerian author and publisher.[2][3][4] In 1969, he became the first black person to finish his studies at Eton College in England.[5] He wrote a book about his experiences of racism at Eton, Nigger at Eton, which resulted in his being banned from visiting the school by then-headmaster Michael McCrum.[6]
Biography
[edit]Dillibe Charles Onyeama was born in Enugu, Nigeria, in 1951,[7] the second son of Charles Onyeama, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Judge at the International Court of Justice who was himself the son of Onyeama of Eke, a ruling chief in the Nigerian chieftaincy system.[6][8] On the day of his birth, he became the first black boy to be registered to attend Eton College.[2] He attended preparatory school at Grove Park in Sussex,[9] before becoming a pupil at Eton in 1965, and leaving in 1969. Onyeama wrote a book while still a teenager about his experiences of racist discrimination and bullying at the elite British boarding school:[10] Nigger at Eton, published in 1972 by Leslie Frewin Limited,[11] which was republished by Penguin in 2022 with the title A Black Boy at Eton.[12]
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Dillibe_Onyeama_giving_a_speech_at_one_of_his_literary_events.jpg/220px-Dillibe_Onyeama_giving_a_speech_at_one_of_his_literary_events.jpg)
In 2020 the school's present headmaster, Simon Henderson, offered Onyeama an apology for the treatment he had received.[13] Onyeama said he would return to Eton to accept the apology as long as the costs of his trip were covered.[9]
Onyeama obtained a diploma from the Premier School of Journalism, incorporating the Writers School of Great Britain before returning to Nigeria In 1981, and establishing the publishing company Delta Publications, based in Enugu.[2][4]
Onyeama died from a heart attack on 10 November 2022, at the age of 71.[14][15][16]
Selected bibliography
[edit]- Nigger at Eton, 1972 (later re-released as A Black Boy at Eton[17])
- John Bull's Nigger, 1974
- Sex is a Nigger's Game, 1976
- Juju, 1977
- Secret Society, 1978
- The Return: Homecoming of a Negro from Eton, 1978
- Chief Onyeama: The Story of an African God, 1982[18]
- African Legend: The Incredible Story of Francis Arthur Nzeribe, 1984
- The New Man: A Perspective in Evil, 2002
- Dadi: The Man, the Legend : an Intimate Portrait of His Excellency Judge Charles Dadi Onyeama of the International Court of Justice, The Hague, 2021
References
[edit]- ^ Silas, Don (14 November 2022). "Buhari reacts to death of Onyeama". Daily Post. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia (23 June 2020). "Eton College: Nigerian author recalls racist abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ Akaraiwe, Ikeazor A. (2001). Onyeama : eagle on the bench : an authorised biography of Nigeria's first Judge at the World Court, His Excellency, Judge Charles Dadi Onyeama, CFR, LL. D. (2nd ed.). Lagos: Touchstone Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-35019-5-X. OCLC 52449965.
- ^ a b Ajeluorou, Anote (22 February 2017). "Dillibe Onyeama revives occult novels of the '80s". The Guardian (Nigeria). Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Eton apologises to Nigerian ex-student for racism". BBC News. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ a b "The racist questions I was asked at Eton". BBC News. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Mohdin, Aamna (11 February 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama, whose memoir of racist abuse at Eton shook the establishment". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Famous Families: Meet The Many Onyeamas Of Enugu". dailytrust.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ a b Bakare, Lanre (23 June 2020). "Nigerian ex-Eton pupil says he will return to accept racism apology". The Guardian.
- ^ Renton, Alex (2017). Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class. Hachette. ISBN 9781474600552.
- ^ Nigger at Eton. Leslie Frewin Limited. 1972. ISBN 9780856320033.
- ^ A Black Boy at Eton. Penguin. 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Dillibe Onyeama: Eton college apologise to Nigerian ex-student for racism". BBC News – Pidgin. 23 June 2020.
- ^ Ibietan, Omoniyi (14 November 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama: When death cuts so deep". Premium Times. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Ajeluorou, Anote (12 November 2022). "Shock, grief as literary community mourns 'Nigger at Eton' author, Dillibe Onyeama". AnoteArtHub. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Chioma, Unini (13 November 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama, Dies At 71". The Nigeria Lawyers. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Evaristo, Bernardine (26 January 2022). "A Black Boy at Eton: a memoir that still shocks 50 years on". New Statesman. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Adibe, Tony (24 February 2018). "FAMOUS FAMILIES: Meet The Many Onyeamas Of Enugu". Daily Trust. Retrieved 15 November 2022.