She was a single mother from a council estate in Kilburn, told that Black music was too niche, that there was no market for it, and that the industry simply wasn’t interested.
Instead of arguing, she built the first MOBO Awards aired to the nation — and the game changed.
Rest in peace
Kanya King
1969-2026
🕊️
Mama Nike was one of 15 wives. When she left her husband to make art, the other 14 wives chose to follow her...
Artist Nike Davies Okundaye - better known as Mama Nike - grew up in an area of Nigeria where polygamous marriages were common. Her own father had three wives.
The women in her family were makers of traditional adire cloth. From the age of six, Mama Nike's great grandmother, mother, and aunt taught her how to spin, weave and dye.
"I didn't know it was my own future food," says Mama Nike - because, despite her family's craft, money was scarce.
At the age of 13, her father decided to marry her off to someone who already had several wives.
But her great grandmother wanted her to choose her own marriage - and so did Mama Nike. She escaped from the men who had come to take her away, and trekked for five days back to her village.
"It's the biggest risk I ever took," she says. "I didn't care if I died."
She arrived home exhausted and covered in bee stings. Even so, her father tried to marry her off again. This time, Mama Nike ran away and joined a travelling theatre, until police arrested her and brought her back.
Eventually, she agreed to marry a well-known artist and musician from Oshogbo, a town renowned for its artistic community.
She used her sewing and embroidery skills to make costumes for her husband's band - while trying to make her own art.
"The men didn't want a woman to be an artist. So, I worked in the night, and worked for them in the day," she says.
Her husband went on to marry 14 other women.
Tradition demanded those who were already wives accept each new marriage - but Mama Nike says they didn't always want to.
On one occasion, the husband took the women to a church where they were denied food, water, or access to their children.
Mama Nike says she was forced to agree to her husband marrying an addition woman: "By the third day we said, 'Bring the wife, we're not jealous anymore.' Our mouths were like boards - dry,".
She says living with her husband made her feel "like a lion with no teeth. You have no power."
She began to teach her co-wives traditional adire making skills, and soon, each of them was able to make their own money.
Sick of her husband's control and abuse, Mama Nike left him as soon as she'd saved enough to buy her own place - and the other wives chose to follow her.
She opened her first formal gallery in Oshogbo in 1986.
She is now an internationally renowned artist, with a huge gallery in Lagos where she teaches others and makes her own colourful, beautiful art.
🎧 Outlook: https://t.co/SxIvUTWprL
Copied from at BBC world service
For once there does seem to be a sense of urgency to find answers and I hope people actually take the time to allow fact based information to be confirmed through this inquest.
A call for digital skills hubs to participate in a 5-month organisation capacity strengthening programme.
Register to get expert support, training and mentorship in: policy development, digital skills, finance management and more.
Deadline: 5 June 2026. https://t.co/TLNR7hDQRF
Africa CEO Forum. BAL Finals. Kigali Fashion Week.
This month has been electric, and it's not over yet.
Come for the energy. Stay for the view. Whether it's dinner on our rooftop or drinks under the stars, there's no better place to be at the top of the city during an electric time in Kigali.
Don't let the month end without experiencing it.
Book your spot today: https://t.co/ZlollQP6H4
#ThePinnacleKigali #BALFinals #KigaliFashionWeek #KigaliNights #RooftopVibes #DiscoverKigali #MayInKigali #VisitRwanda
🎭 Spaces of Culture 2026 is open!
Up to €50,000 for collaborative cultural projects in Sub-Saharan Africa 🇪🇺🤝🌍
For cultural & CSO's working with European partners on arts, heritage, digital culture, youth, inclusion & more.
🗓 Deadline: 21 June 👉 https://t.co/CnwB73h6Kp
OPEN CALL
Applications are now open for the first Cohort of the LIPFest Craft and Development Lab, a four-month structured program of craft and professional development for poets, spoken word artists, and writers from Nigeria and the African diaspora.
According to Uganda’s @forever_etania, tourism events greatly impact Rwanda’s economy, unfortunately, many Ugandan tourism leaders still underestimate their value.
It is our responsibility to help them understand the economic benefits they bring.