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My grandmother and I shared what I consider a unique relationship. Having no daughters of her own (she bore four sons), she often referred to me as “her daughter”. I was also her namesake and I’ve always considered both titles an honor.

Our relationship was unique to me because unlike so many of my friends’ grandparents, she was uncommonly open about the details of her private and personal life. I remember one conversation we had while sitting on the veranda in our house in Labone. I’d just finished my homework and was listening to the sounds of the residential area, content from a meal of boiled yam, plantain and palava sauce that …