My entire year led up to this moment. In October, my family and I gave my father a final sendoff. When he suddenly passed away in March, it was at the height of COVID in Cameroon, and everything was understandably locked down. Half of our time in mourning was spent in quarantine which was such a hollowing experience. There was barely enough time to catch our breath when the planning for his official funeral began. One thing I appreciate about African culture is how we're able to highlight tradition in all important gatherings. Through all the hecticness, we were able to find some comfort and peace in our goodbyes.
Growing up, before my Dad would leave to go anywhere he would say "Bon" (french for well/welp), and as kids, we would say to him "Daddy don't say 'bon' and go". When he left us this time, he didn't get to tell us "bon". To me, this is just a long goodbye...until we meet again.
