Dillibe Onyeama

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Dillibe Onyeama
Born
Charles Dillibe Onyeama

(1951-01-06)6 January 1951
Enugu, Southern Region, British Nigeria (now in Enugu State, Nigeria)
Died10 November 2022(2022-11-10) (aged 71)
Enugu, Nigeria
EducationEton College
Occupation(s)Author

Publisher and

Journalist
Notable workNigger at Eton (1972)
Children6
ParentCharles Onyeama (father)
RelativesGeoffrey 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]

Dillibe Onyeama giving a speech at one of his literary events

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]

  1. ^ Silas, Don (14 November 2022). "Buhari reacts to death of Onyeama". Daily Post. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia (23 June 2020). "Eton College: Nigerian author recalls racist abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Eton apologises to Nigerian ex-student for racism". BBC News. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b "The racist questions I was asked at Eton". BBC News. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  7. ^ Mohdin, Aamna (11 February 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama, whose memoir of racist abuse at Eton shook the establishment". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Famous Families: Meet The Many Onyeamas Of Enugu". dailytrust.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b Bakare, Lanre (23 June 2020). "Nigerian ex-Eton pupil says he will return to accept racism apology". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Renton, Alex (2017). Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class. Hachette. ISBN 9781474600552.
  11. ^ Nigger at Eton. Leslie Frewin Limited. 1972. ISBN 9780856320033.
  12. ^ A Black Boy at Eton. Penguin. 3 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Dillibe Onyeama: Eton college apologise to Nigerian ex-student for racism". BBC News – Pidgin. 23 June 2020.
  14. ^ Ibietan, Omoniyi (14 November 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama: When death cuts so deep". Premium Times. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Chioma, Unini (13 November 2022). "Dillibe Onyeama, Dies At 71". The Nigeria Lawyers. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  17. ^ Evaristo, Bernardine (26 January 2022). "A Black Boy at Eton: a memoir that still shocks 50 years on". New Statesman. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  18. ^ Adibe, Tony (24 February 2018). "FAMOUS FAMILIES: Meet The Many Onyeamas Of Enugu". Daily Trust. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
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