- ERIC
‘Go back in your mind to a year ago, when you just found out your brother had been shot. How did it feel? How did it feel when you had to go and identify his body?’
The pilot episode of Empire, a popular television drama series, opens up to this scene. Lucious Lyon (portrayed by Terence Howard), is cajoling a young female artist to sing from her depths. Famed to have a Midas touch, Lyon’s formula is very simple…get the artists to channel their pain into their music. The young artist is transformed. The pain that pours out is almost palpable. Her soul is laid bare for all to see. A masterpiece.
Pain produces art. And Eric carries an inordinate amount of pain from his past. From this pain, he has produced grand works of reel upon reel of mesmeric poetry.
Eric Otieno dreaded those nights. There was no escaping from them. Like clockwork, they happened several times each week. Such nights spelt no sleep for him. Oh how he abhorred them. His parents would physically tear each other apart. There were beatings. Screams. Knives. Blood. In an excerpt from his writing piece, ‘He Regrets Marrying my Mother! OR was it the Alcohol?’ he draws a vivid sketch of his harrowing ordeal.
‘Her knees were bleeding from the friction of being pounded on the living room carpet. I found him on her back, wrenching her hair out of its roots. His fat fingers had the devil’s grip. She had begun bleeding from the head.
I tussled him to the door after calling for assistance from the house help. Mama’s throat was getting dry from the pain of screaming. They had been fighting over things; money, women, alcohol, and us…It’s right here with us. Hell.’
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Excerpt From Eric’s Story: ‘PILLARS OF AFRICA: They Dared To Dream’ – Compiled & Written by Sheida
