The return of the prince

After so many years of being away getting 2 degrees and working, one of the most important men in my life, my protector, the joy of my heart is back home. When he announced to me that he was going to be moving back home, i was elated.

We have always been close and even with the distance that separated us when we hit our teens, we always made the effort to visit each other, usually meeting at home. Phone calls and emails we used as well just to make sure we had our time to talk.

He is none other than my brother - Chiweizu Abiodun Amuta - Everyone calls him Chief (a post for another day).

I am the first of four and he follows. He turned 24 in December and he is just amazing to me. Everyone calls him Chief. My parents tell me that he was born a very big, bald, wide eyed baby. Bald? Now, he needs to get a hair cut every week. Big - he is about 6ft tall and is wide (all muscle). When he arrived last night, he is still huge but smaller. Less weights now i think but looking as handsome and as trendy as the British like to dress. I saw him last year but this time is different, he is back for good. To go through what i went through and begin to write his name in the success journals of our generation.

My brother is amazing. He is a peacemaker. Slow to anger but when he gets mad, his eyes turn red and he begins to do this heaving thing which is a sign to all close by to clear the room. He is arty in the sense that he has a master's degree in film studies and intends to make his mark in film. My brother watches movies like Spiderman but is not much into commercial movies. He is into grittier, realer flicks like City of God and The Motorcycle Diaries. He writes amazingly well. Not like me. I write easily. I write using easy words and about everyday things. Not like my dad as well. My dad writes intellectually. Well researched and well used words. My brother writes from a viewpoint far beyond his years. He can write a screenplay about Abacha and you get a feel that he was there. In the minds of the generals and power players. He wants to make movies like Schindler's List - movies about Nigeria and Nigerian life but not Nollywood style. He likes the idea of making documentaries and i have had dreams of my brother accepting an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

He likes music like me. But not the commercial stuff. He loves Cuban music from artists i cant recognize, true hip hop and likes Nas for some reason. He loves African artists like Rekia Traore and is very into the Nigerian scene. My brother will sit down and watch an Indian movie with me - not because he is interested in Shah Rukh Khan but for the technicality of it. The way scenes are shot, camera angles, even artist positions within scenes.

He loves to read. Sure he reads fction but more along the likes of Tom Clancy and James Patterson than Robert Ludlum. He reads more true/documentary stle books. Like about the american revolution or about the life of Idi Amin. He is a huge Che Gueverra fan and let's not start on politics. While i will discuss what's happening in the Palestinian/Isreali conflict today, he will acknowledge me and tell me how it all began and the key players. My brother can spin a conspiracy theory around anything and have you reeling. While trying to process the absurdity and incredulity of his yarn, he laughs and will say something like"I am just trying to let you realise that there is always more than meets the eye"

This is a young man that plays Tuface's African Queen for my mom everytime he is home. He adores his sisters in a way that makes us all rest easy. Nobody can mess with us. Even my parents. He willstand in the gap for us and will do anything for us.

He loves beans and dodo and can eat that all day, everyday. He doesnt like fish but loves fanta. Not a huge fruit person but will manage to eat a serving a day to avoid getting speeches from us.

I can go on and on about him but the bottom line is that i love this man madly and i am excited that he is back home. I know he is destined for greatness and i believe that Nigeria is not ready for what he has to offer but he will drag us all kicking and screaming as he redefines entertainment in this country. And when the time comes for him to accept his Oscar, my family will be there of course. But i will be there, in my Armani dress, crying and hollering and clapping and making a fool of myself as the world recognises this amazing man.

Oh and i am looking forward to all the presents i shall be getting from the young ladies as they try to get close to him. Its happened before and i am sure it will continue to happen.