Today is my late aunt Sidiga’s 65th birthday. She was born May 5th, 1955, a sequence of numbers that growing up as a little kid I was so infatuated with. How many people do you know personally whose birthday has a unique sequence such as 5-5-55? My aunt, Sidiga Washi does. “She has to have super powers, because of her birth date”, always said the kid in me. I was right, she did!
I am not going to get into her scholastic and public leadership achievements, as it would take me days of writing to compile all of them (I will list links at the end of this post), and would rather talk about why she was a super aunt.
1. The Power of being present regardless of location: growing up, we had never lived in the same town, but she was always present. She wrote letters and visited us when she could. I have very strong memories of all of us around the food table, picnics and sitting in our veranda at night with her laughing to jokes. That laugh of hers was so unique, powerful and representative of absolute joy to the point where it’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of her.
2. The power of unintentionally instilling passion in others: I was about 5 years old when she and her husband got me my first Liverpool F.C. kit after a visit to the UK. I still remember how beautifully red that kit was and the proud feelings that were bestowed on me. As a lifelong fanatic of LFC, I always go back to that moment if I had to trace when that passionate fandom had started. I am sure she had done the same thing, in one way or another, for so many people without even knowing it.
3. The power of being the ultimate role model: She had always set the standard of excellence for so many people especially us, members of her family. We did not have to look anywhere else for role models or where to find inspiration to be better. It wasn’t only the academic accolades and milestones, and activism for honorable causes. It was also the fact that she was always there for everyone – family, friends and strangers. Without her, I would not be who I am today, along with a huge number of other, across continents literally. I am a big feminist and a big believer that women will eventually save this world from the consequences of stupidity and ignorance of men, and it’s all because I witnessed a blueprint of how it could happen, architected by my own aunt.
My aunt Sidiga died suddenly in October, 2018. It affected and shocked so many people, especially us who are members of her immediate family. I have realized that my young self was on point: she had super powers evidenced by the legacy she left behind. She is still here with us because of what she had done for so many and her eternal and selfless contributions to the world.
I know at least a couple of young girls who were named after her, including the newest addition to the family, my niece born on January 26 of this year. My young self would have said that my niece’s birth date is not as fancy as my aunt’s, but my old self is joyous over his niece’s future and the possibilities if she just follows her namesake’s legacy.
Below are some links to obituaries and information about my aunt on the internet. No a thousand headstones could fit all of it.
http://www.ahfad.edu.sd/index.php/news-1/216-the-late-prof-sidiga-washi-s-memorial-ceremony
https://www.equalitynow.org/in_memoriam_dr_sidiga_washi?locale=en
https://sudanow-magazine.net/page.php?subId=2&Id=515
https://www.ohea.on.ca/blog/professor-sidiga-washi-phd-obituary
https://www.ifheus.org/2018/10/08/obituary-for-dr-sidiga-washi/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidiga_Washi
