Louis Otieno’s son, Silas Miami, has come out with details about his relationship with his father.
Miami, who is based in South Africa, disclosed that he doesn’t talk to his dad, though their relationship remains ‘cordial’.
“My mother was technically a single mother. I had no relationship with my father. He was the man we watched on TV. However, we met later on in life when he fell sick and I was helping with the bill. We have a cordial relationship. Although we do not talk, I wish him well and he does the same for me. I got to the point where I realised that parents too are only human and a product of what they have seen in life. I have come to recognise my father’s failures, but also acknowledge his humanity,” Miami is quoted.
He added: “I mean, our parents made the best decisions with what they had. I had to make the decision to let go and to ask myself, how can I do better? Of course it was not easy, but in letting go, I set myself free not just to be a better son, but a better human being.”
Asked if he had forgiven his father, Miami quickly pointed out: “I don’t think I’ve dealt with it completely. That’s going to be a lifelong journey of forgiveness. People imagine that it happens in one go and I don’t think that’s true. You do not wake up one morning and it isn’t as heavy as it was before, but it doesn’t magically erase trauma. So, we are not there yet, but we are heading there.”
Miami, who doesn’t drink or party, is a filmmaker, photographer, musician, and lecturer. He is behind some of the local films such as: Disconnect, Supa Modo and Lusala.
