It began quietly. A hum in the air, a gathering of minds, a gentle unfolding on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
But what happened on April 15th at the Library Auditorium foyer was anything but ordinary—it was sacred. A return. A remembering. A reckoning with self.
Alumna of the Class of 2012, Haye Okoh, came home—not just as a former student, but as a woman transformed, a storyteller matured, and a visionary artist with something to offer.
Her mixed media exhibition, Nbídè Ófùñ, wasn’t merely an artistic display. It was an invocation.
The title, drawn from Igbo, translates to “Waiting for Birth” or “Anticipating New Life.” But the works within spoke not only of literal birth—they pulsed with metaphors of becoming, of the ache and beauty of transformation.
The show captured the very essence of growth: sacred, slow, unseen, and yet so deeply felt.
Art that Speaks in Silence
The exhibition drew an eager and diverse crowd—students, professors, alumni, creatives.
Excited whispers filled the space as onlookers moved from piece to piece, some recognizing her from her work with Nigeria’s former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, others simply in awe.
A group of AUN students even gushed with starstruck admiration, marveling at how someone who once walked the same halls as they now do, could come back this way—with such power, grace, and impact.
And truly, the room stood still. Her pieces didn’t just hang on the walls—they breathed.
In *In Seclusion*, Haye explores the hiddenness of growth—the way something sacred takes shape in silence, just like life in the womb.
In *Roots of Gold*, she transforms stretch marks into symbols of resilience, tracing pain with reverence, and crowning it in gold.
“Those marks are proof,” she explained. “Proof that you’ve gone through something. That the breaking was worth it.”
Other pieces leaned into themes of grief and glory, solitude and rebirth. Using fabric, thread, photography, gold leaf, and charcoal, she composes worlds of emotion—spaces where silence speaks, where pain is not erased but embroidered into beauty.
Her art is a mirror, a balm, a question mark. It invites the viewer to not just look, but to feel, to listen, to remember.
Each work was a prayer in color and texture, a call to remember the sanctity in becoming.
The Journey Before the Masterpiece
But the story behind the story is where the soul of this homecoming truly lies.
Years ago, Haye was just another freshman, consumed by *House* and *Grey’s Anatomy*, convinced she’d one day wear a white coat and save lives.
“I thought I wanted to be a doctor,” she laughed. “But I was really in love with the story—the cinematography, the emotion, the buildup.”
She started in engineering. It didn’t stick. It wasn’t her. Then, almost by accident, she found CMD—Communication and Multimedia Design.
“That’s when everything clicked. I felt it in my bones. I didn’t just want to tell stories. I needed to.”
But passion, as we know, doesn’t always mean ease. There were doubts. There was discomfort. But there was also fire—and a deep, unshakable sense that she had found her path.
Like the women in her artwork, she carried her vision through the silent months, trusting that one day it would take form.
Full Circle: The Becoming
Over a decade later, she stood in those same halls—but this time as a guide, not a seeker.
Not only did she share her work, but she poured into the next generation of storytellers.
On April 16th, she hosted a masterclass titled *The Art of Storytelling* in the CMD Lab.
The room overflowed—not just with CMD students, but with aspiring creatives from across disciplines: Law, NES, IT, and more.
But Haye wasn’t there to teach technique alone—she came bearing truths:
• Truth: “There’s the truth that exists, and the truth you see. Tell your truth.”
• Originality: “Everything can be art if it’s honest. Your story matters.”
• Simplicity: “Sometimes the most powerful image is the quietest.”
• Intuition: “Your eye knows. Trust it.”
• Preparation: “Feel the space before you shoot. Let it speak to you.”
• Purpose: “Always know your ‘why.’ Ask yourself—what do I want this image to do?”
Her voice, gentle yet firm, urged the room to not just capture images but to move people.
“Let your work feel. Let it hurt. Let it heal. Let it become what it was meant to be.”
Legacy in Motion
Haye Okoh’s journey—marked by curiosity, courage, and calling—isn’t a straight line. It’s a cycle.
Like the birth she portrays in her work, her becoming was not loud or linear. It was layered. Honest. Soft where it needed to be, sharp where it had to be.
She is still becoming. And in choosing to return to the very place her dream began, she reminds us that every journey is sacred,
and every calling—no matter how unclear at first—is worth listening to.
“This place shaped me,” she said. “To return with something to give… that means everything.”
Now, it feels like she has come home to reminisce, to teach, to feel, to become—and to inspire others to become too.
And just like that, the lights dimmed. But the echo of *Nbídè Ófùñ*—the waiting, the breaking, the becoming—lingers still.
Follow Her Journey
Experience more of her work on Instagram: @hayeokoh
Because her story, like the best of them, is far from over.
By Michelle Niyang | For the AUN Alumni Association