Nieni was one of us. Except she was much, much better than any of us. A beautiful soul void of any airs and graces, Nieni was someone who wore her smile with her signature, relaxed sense of style. Slouchy jeans, a comfortable tee shirt and often an oversized shawl to respect the sensibilities of the people she worked with and/or covered. Respectful, unassuming and hardworking, I can’t think of one single instance when – on the job – no matter how late the hours, how hot and uncomfortable the weather or how crowded the event, I ever remember seeing Nieni with anything less than a dynamite smile. She stood by her camera crew, always beaming. She never complained, even when salaries came late or teams thinned out and work load doubled. Nieni soldiered on, at calm and persistent pace; I’m sure she fought the fight when she needed to – she was a progressive, independent working woman – but she did everything with grace and dignity.
And that’s how she went; with grace and dignity. I remember speaking to her a couple of months ago. She had been ill for quite some time and was fighting the dreaded battle with cancer but there was zero exhaustion, weariness or self-pity in her voice. I could feel her smiling through our conversation. She promised to meet up soon, though we never could, and then I heard she was getting better. She wasn’t, except that was the way she wanted to be remembered. I hope we can honour her memory and learn from the way she lived.
Goodbye dear friend, you will always be missed.
