Isreal Okeafor came home from a music tour in Tokyo to find his home and business gone.
Okeafor owned Tribes Art & Décor, one of the buildings destroyed by the fire that ravaged four businesses and three apartments in Charlottetown on March 9.
He also lived in the building for the past few years.
He was in Japan when the fire gutted his home and business.
The morning after the fire, Okeafor called one of his friends, meaning to ask him to check the mail for him.
When the friend answered, he was crying.
Isreal, everything is burned, his friend said.
What do you mean, everything is burned? Okeafor asked.
The store is burned, his friend replied, sobbing.
Go on The Guardian website and you will see.
When he went online and saw the picture of his home with flames darting out of it, he fell off his chair in disbelief.
I saw some fire and I didnt want to believe it was real, he said in an interview this week.
Turning to a nearby friend, he said: Look man, my whole life! My whole life in Canada since I left Africa is flaming. Look!
For days afterward he couldnt speak. The building wasnt insured. He says insurance companies told him it was too old.
It was especially heartbreaking for Okeafor, as he had recently closed a sister Tribes store in Halifax and had moved all the inventory from there to the Charlottetown location.
A total of $112,000 in wholesale inventory was lost in the fire.
Its all gone smoked into the skies of P.E.I., he said.
He said it was too difficult to come forward and speak before now, as the destruction was so devastating.
I lost a whole lot. Writings, night and day of experiences, books, diaries, my childrens toys, my
childrens paintings that they
gave me a whole lot of memories, personal belongings, commercial things I just cant explain
them one by one. But it was part of my life.
He returned to P.E.I. from Japan immediately after hearing about the fire only to find an empty lot where his home had been.
I was ready to just start building my old home in that dust. I was digging through and my daughter started crying, so I looked at her and I just had to leave that dust.
He said he reached into his pocket and felt a few coins the only money he had left in the world. So he threw them into the rubble, realizing he had to move past material attachments.
My heart fell right into my belly when I saw that. But there comes a time when youve got to stand fast. Because if you fall, your children fall in there with you.
While driving away from the scene, a friend called him and told him some of his drums and music had been salvaged.
They were not ready to die. I will tell everybody, Pick up a drum and find yourself.
He is thankful to everyone who helped him since the fire, especially his landlord Lisa Tweel, Rupert and E.N. Harding, Randy Malone and Lin Donovan.
Okeafor says there is still a lot of pain, thinking of everything he lost, but he plans to move forward, continue making music with his band in Japan, ironically called Isreals Lost Tribes.
My heart is beating, my drums are gonna be beating . . . and I will
go and tell my story through my music.
Store owner moving past pain of losing hus business and home to fire
Store owner moving past pain of losing hus business and home to fire
- Published on April 3rd, 2007
- Published on June 14th, 2010
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Teresa Wright
'My heart is beating, my drums are gonna be beating:' Isreal Okeafor, owner of Tribes Art and Decor, says he will tell his story through music after blaze left him heartbroken and speechless for days
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Comments
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- Tracey
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:40:10
Gonzo! haha you are just terrible! The things that come out of your mouth!
I agree with alot of what you say but holy cow! I would think that you might tone it down a bit.
Its great to get your point accross but you may find that your opinion gets a little more credibility if it is said with some tact.
Cheers! -
- The Real Joe
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:39:19
What is the world coming to?? Maybe a place where people can speak thier opinion's freely? It's an opinion....you don't have to like it or agree with it, hell, you don't have to even read it. As long as it's not bashing and cursing of course.
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- Holly
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:31:56
Is this your first time reading the Guardian, John Doe?
and lol @ gonzo -
- Krista
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:18:07
Opinion's sure, that's fine and I have no problem with it. I just don't see why everyone has to turn it into a battle over who's right or who's wrong.
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- John
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:17:26
You're right, I'm an utter failure. And again you're all right, my house should burn down. Yes, such sympathetic people you all must be. You can't even accept someone's point of view without resorting to foul language, insulting my personal life and whatever else. You must all fair exceptionally well out there in reality though. I mean, if you can turn and insult someone from the comfort of your living room, without even knowing them, Jesus, that's a sure sign of a happy and successful individual right there. My God you people make me sick. My condolences to the family that lost their house. I'm sure all these people are going to make donations to you though, so don't worry too much. They've obviously got your back, otherwise they wouldn't be mouthing off just for the sake of hearing themselves talk.
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- Cory
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:15:27
Stories like this help others who have lost stuff, and when unfortunate things in thier lives have happened. It helps them see that they are not alone in the world. It's Jerks like John Doe that makes it hard for people to ask for help.
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- Alex
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:10:41
Wow, what a loss - both for the people involved and for the city. Thanks.
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- Krista
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:00:51
I don't understand anyone. What is the point of battling back and forth. It's all ignorance. People have lost everything they have and all anyone can do is argue back and forth on the Guardian's website? What is this world coming to?
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- Nate
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:55:13
Teresa, quite the story, you've turned quite a few heads. Good Job. As for John Doe I partly agree with he/she,
Sometimes newspapers pry open people's private lives, but in this case I think it was wanted and will help in the end.
Ps. Cut Doe-boy some slack. It's just an opinion, it's not like started the fire. -
- Beth
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:54:21
Yes, the Guardian probably should publish a story for everyone who loses a lievlihood and a lifetime in a fire, (and they do many such stories) but even on PEI it can't. We need to emphasize the values that have built the Island, those who have helped this family and the Okeafor family itself. When life hands you lemons make lemonade; when life hands you a fire take your remaining drums and make music. Three cheers for Israel Okeafor, we can learn a lot from him and be humbled by his response to this tragedy.
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- L
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:53:02
Well that's all great.. but don't you think the header should be spelled HIS instead of HUS?? Just a thought
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- mandy
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:52:14
I am pretty sure that there are lots of sad stories of people losing everything they have for many reasons not just because of a fire. The difference is these folks will thanks to all the concerned folks of pei that are blasting each other on a comment board will likely bounce back a heck of a lot quicker than many of the impoverished folks who have lived on pei all their lives and due to even just bad luck or hard times and the lovely high wages paid here just can't manage to even survive above the poverty line let alone have the opportunity to own a business. I am sure though this is terrible to have happened life will indeed go on and likely prosper for the gentleman and his family.
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- John
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:50:59
Are you going to print a story for every one of the victims? Seriously, I don't mean to seem insensitive but talk about sensationalism...
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- tam
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:50:16
Perhaps John Doe wouldn't make such a comment if something like this happened to him. John Doe, you would'nt be making such a statement if it was you in that picture, if it was you who lost everything.Its not sensationalism, its reality.
My thoughts go to all who have been affected by the fire. -
- Allan
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:39:08
In regards to Mr John Doe, Who the heck are you to sit there and ask us if we as islanders are going to publish about everyone who is affected by this mess?? I mean really if you were any kind of an islander you would not ask such simple questions, We are a community and as a community we will stand by our fellow islanders , just like Isreal Okeafore , he is a great man who has brought many good things to our community , we shall publish whatever we feel our community should know
Allan Quinn
as for me im not afraid to add my name -
- june
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:36:02
well john doe i guess you have not have any tramatic events happen in your life or you would be writing a different e mail. thank GOD for the guardian and the warm and caring staff.
remember those people lost everything they owned and i believe 3 weeks after such a disaster people go about there own business and tend maybe to forget about the terrible fire and that is just a part of human nature.i applaud the guardian and i think most people would agree that we should not forget ,we never know when it will be our turn. -
- John
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:34:50
I'm sorry to seem insensitive, but I'm just looking at the story from the perspective of a journalist. The story was done last week with one of the other victims, and then the week before with another. All I'm saying is it seems like the paper is feeding off these people's suffering. It frustrates me to think that this is what they fall back on on a slow news day. If they were going to run a series of victims stories, run them within the first week or so of the actual fire. Not three weeks down the road.
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- Chelle
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:34:27
Sure hope the Okeafor family are able to heal from such a terrible tradegy as losing everything, including their livelihood in a fire. A fire like this one not only destroys material goods but can destroy persons hopes and dreams too.
I certainly hope the community of Charlottetown is one who is empathetic and acts on that empathy to help the Okeafor Family to pick up the pieces of their hopes and dream to be able to carry on to provide a life for this Dad and his children.
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person's such as john doe are a drag on and an embaressment to any community, including journalism. john doe doesn't have what it takes to make anything of himself in journalism, he'll never amount to anything and sure as hell won't be making the big time in journalism or any media medium as shown in the pathetic, laughable immature attempt at an excuse for sounding like a pig.
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