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Alero
Olympio - I remember hearing that name before meeting her and
thinking - well, its almost a title, isn’t it? I know we
will all have been taking time to reflect on what Alero has meant
to us, individually. And yet despite her many facets, something
at Alero’s core means that our own particular personal memories
are all founded on a very shared experience: time spent with Alero
left each of us experiencing that same resonating beauty.
Her greeting was direct, sometimes
even disarming, which of course she knew. With her smile, with
that voice and with that physicality and ease, you were immediately
engaged and involved; she seemed to offer you part of her person.
And she would play with formality too: ‘Doctor Ennis’
she beamed, then undercut that with a contrasting cuddle.
When beside her, Alero really
did seem to radiate; even after a quick meet for coffee at the
Globe, the warmth of her friendship stayed with you for a time.
When out on the town, clearly, heads would turn; elegant, graceful,
gorgeous: these are words that only begin to describe her. And
when at home, when Morag and Alero entertained, she cooked up
an African treat like no-one else, with puddings always a must,
including you with a knowing smile, and a wicked glint, piling
the plate high and saying, ‘sometimes it good to be bad’.
And did anyone convey a story
quite like Alero? With a twist or a turn in her face and eyes
and mouth, and often her body, catching up with Alero could become
like participation in a one-act play. I don’t know if she
told you the one about her first arrival in Edinburgh and a job
down in Leith? Hooting with laughter as she told the story, she
described surveying a back garden for a building development and
turning in amazement to see a woman trying to chase her away,
this ‘black savage’ loose in the neighbourhood. Now
you can see her telling that story, with a two hand thrust of
an imaginary broom, her energy just brimming over; and believe
me, you could also hear her tell it with an extraordinarily accurate
Scottish accent. She acknowledged the whole incident with a mischievous
smile, excusing the lady and supposing that really, there weren’t
that many black faces in Leith.
And that incident in itself also
speaks of this woman. Alero met the tricky and the troublesome,
with practicality, and always with charm and poise, never one
to moan, never choosing to dwell on the difficult or negative;
for Alero, there simply was no other way to live, but to live
with passion and purpose.
So today, we can all think again
about this extraordinary woman; we’ll miss our friend, very
much. But we can remember her generous spirit, take time to share
her love amongst us, honour her passion and move forward with
a purpose in our own lives, each of us keeping our friend, Alero,
close to our hearts.
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31
August 2005 |
