Odinigwe Benedict Chukwukadibia Bonaventure Enwonwu (14 July 1917 – 5 February 1994) was a premier African modernist and a pioneer who is better known as Ben Enwonwu. He was an Igbo Nigerian painter and sculptor. He is a pioneer whose career opened the way for the postcolonial proliferation and increased visibility of modern African art. His work has been exhibited around the world. The Enwonwu crater on the planet Mercury is named in his honour.

HungerBAD:
One of those rare Gems from the East again.

And he was the son of Omenka Odigwe Emeka Enwonwu, maybe that's our own Omenka here has a thing for the Igbo people. My problem with the East is this, why are people from there not as celebrated as the counterparts in other parts of Nigeria? i mean this is a man with something named after him in the Solar System.

You cannot even buy that kind of recognition.

There was Flora Nwapa, and a host of other giants that came out of the East and their names are gradually being forgotten. There are Yoruba's today who still claim to Awoist, even if Awolowo died in 1987. And in an irony of twist, i am yet to see any Igbo man claim to a Zikist, even if the man died in 1996.

My Eastern Brothers, this is a call for you guys to celebrate your own.

Ben Enwonwu, was from Umueze-Aroli in Onitsha, Nigeria. So today, i am from Onitsha, and i am proud to be from Onitsha.