Onyeka Nubia – Favourite Things

Dr Onyeka Nubia is a historian, writer and presenter. He is a lecturer in History at the University of Nottingham and the leading historian on the status and origins of Africans in pre-colonial England from antiquity to 1603. He is the author of Blackamoores Africans in Tudor England and England’s Other Countrymen, has written three novels and recently contributed to the collection of essays What is History, Now? by Suzannah Lipscomb. 

These are a few of Onyeka Nubia’s favourite things…

Suede shoes

Artificial suede shoes are one of my favourite things. They have to be artificial because I am a vegan and have been for more than two decades. I know it is quite fashionable to be a vegan nowadays, but it wasn’t twenty years ago. I don’t wear suede shoes every day as the weather does not permit it! But I love the tactile nature of the material. In fact, I am wearing grey suede shoes right now.

Richard Burton

It may seem counterintuitive to have a person as a “favourite thing”. But if we extend the metaphor to people, the Welsh actor Richard Burton (1925- 1984) is one of my favourite people from history. Ironically, this is not because of any films he has been in but because of his unhinged-mercurial-madness. He pushed the boundaries of human expression. 

Cats

I love and have grown up with cats and like to count them among my friends. But I am too busy at the moment to have any pets. Hopefully, in the next few years, I will be honoured once again to have a cat.

Carrot Cake 

Homemade is always best, but any carrot cake is very nice. It should have raisins and nuts in, but as a vegan, it has to be adapted to be made without dairy or eggs. It can be hard to find vegan carrot cake, but a good vegan carrot cake is just as lovely as a non-vegan one. 

Elephants and orcas 

Human hegemony places us as superior above all other species. But many animals have a serene and dignified nature that puts human beings to shame. Elephants and Orcas have just such an otherworldliness. Elephants are dignified, powerful and gentle giants; what a shame that our destruction of the planet endangers them. And Orcas can communicate over thousands of miles. Hopefully, I might live to see them both in the wild, untamed and unfettered by human civilisation.

Enjoyed Onyeka Nubia’s favourites? Explore the full Favourite Things archive here.