Mama Ifeoma was known in the community as Mama Smoke, a single mother who sold dried fish for a living. She had a bright-eyed, soft-spoken, daughter.

Every day, she would wake by 4:30 a.m., light her hertz, and begin drying the catfish, scoõbia and tilapia that would become their daily bread. Her tiny kitchen, blackened by years of smõke, served as the heart of their livelihood. She worked hard—harder than any woman Ifeoma had ever seen. “Life no easy, but fish dey help us breathe,” Mama would always say, half-laughing, half-wiping sweat off her brow. When Ifeoma completed her WAEC exams at 16, she didn’t dream of waiting for admission like most girls her age. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and joined her mother in

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