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vol. 9, no. 3
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Our latest issue, An African Manual for Debugging Empire, confronts the erasure of Africans in global tech debates and highlights the ways the continent is actively shaping, contesting and redefining the futures of AI.
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Every year, The Republic publishes the most ambitious writing focused on Africa, from news and analysis to long-form features.
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vol. 9, no. 3
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Our latest issue, An African Manual for Debugging Empire, confronts the erasure of Africans in global tech debates and highlights the ways the continent is actively shaping, contesting and redefining the futures of AI.
Purchase an annual print + digital subscription, and get unlimited access to The Republic. We ship worldwide.
This Week’s Essentials
Our top analyses, debates, ideas and stories of the week.
ANNOUNCEMENT DESK
ANNOUNCEMENT DESK
We Are Hiring: Senior Print and UI Designer
The Republic is looking for a highly motivated and versatile senior print and UI designer to be a pivotal force in maintaining the high aesthetic standards of our print publications while significantly advancing the usability and visual appeal of our digital interfaces.
ANNOUNCEMENT DESK
Call for Pitches: Nigeria in the World
The Republic is now accepting our next set of pitches. This time, the theme is ‘Nigeria in the World’, with a focus on the intersections between Nigeria’s global standing and its domestic political realities. We invite researchers, journalists, writers, photographers, illustrators and storytellers to interrogate how Nigeria is seen, positioned and engaged globally.
ANNOUNCEMENT DESK
We Are Hiring Sub-Editors
The Republic is recruiting sub-editors to help deepen, organize, and expand its coverage across Nigeria and Africa. These editors will lead distinct desks—zonal, regional, and thematic—shaping how local realities connect to national, continental, and global conversations.
THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS X THE ECONOMY
Inside Nigerian Freelancers’ Currency Trap
Nigeria’s freelance economy is growing, but for millions of digital workers, receiving international payments remains an extreme sport. If the country wants to export digital labour and capture its value at home, it must first fix how that labour gets paid.
HEADLINE STORY / THE MINISTRY OF WORLD AFFAIRS
- WINNIE RUGUTT
- FRIDAH NJOKI
- February 9, 2025
As domestic unrest in Kenya grows, President William Ruto’s carefully crafted global image is unravelling. Internal discontent is eroding Ruto’s international standing, which can potentially damage Kenya’s position as a regional sanctuary.
THE MINISTRY OF ARTS / FICTION DEPT.
To-Do List
‘I woke up one day and I realized that I simply despised the smallness that life here hoists on everyone. Small loves, big needs met by small resources, small hopes quashed by gigantic misdeeds, small joys flickering off with each new leaving.’
THE BLACK ATLANTIC
A Yoruba Woman’s Notes on Language as a Barrier, Bridge and Bedrock
‘But how disturbing it is that my own language, one filled with so much beauty and melody, would be considered foreign to me. Why did I not think in my language? Why would my default language be one that was imposed by brutal colonialists on my ancestors’ lips?’
THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS X THE ECONOMY
Is the Decline of Nigeria’s Nightlife a Blessing in Disguise?
Tinubu’s economic reforms have had an unintended consequence: the collapse of Nigeria’s once-vibrant nightlife. In its wake, a surprising twist has emerged. Young Nigerians are channelling their frustrations from dance floors to the democratic arena.
THE MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CHANGE X THE ENVIRONMENT
Africa’s Role in the Future of Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence transforms global systems, Africa remains sidelined in its design; even as its labour and resources power the very infrastructure that makes AI possible. The emergence of AI on the continent raises urgent questions about equity, inclusion and how to ensure Africans benefit from the technologies they help sustain.
THE MINISTRY OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
How a Flowing Veil Shaped My Identity
‘The laffaya is elegant, but it is also instructive. It teaches you how to move, how to hold your head high. There is a sensuality in the way it wraps the body, not in the Western sense, but in the quiet power it gives.’
THE MINISTRY OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS / FIRST DRAFT INTERVIEWS
‘The Human Spirit Naturally Resists Oppression’ Chibueze Darlington Anuonye’s First Draft
Editor of Who Gave The Order: The History of a People’s Movement, Chibueze Darlington Anuonye, believes that 20 October 2020 stands as an indictment of the Nigerian conscience and urges Nigerians to remember that day: ‘What happened at the Lekki Toll Gate could be described as a country waging war against its citizens.’
THE MINISTRY OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS / FIRST DRAFT INTERVIEWS
10 African Writers on How They Actually Wrote Their Books
In our latest First Draft interview, we ask leading African writers, including Laila Lalami and Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, about their writing processes. Here's what the told us.
THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
The Body, the Veil and the Muslim Woman
Halimatu Iddrisu paints Muslim women and their voices. She entrusts their faceless bodies with self-expression and the freedom to engage viewers in a dialogue about dressing choices and the hijab—veiling in Islam—that transcends language.
THE MINISTRY OF GENDER X SEXUALITY
African Feminist Futures Beyond the UN Workshop Industrial Complex
Despite the United Nations’ workshop and log-frame fabrication of a particular kind of African woman who can be measured, trained and displayed for prime-time news, African women’s organizing has always exceeded these scripts. This decolonial feminist politics is both the product of 80 years of UN gender politics and its most potent challenger, pointing toward futures where empowerment becomes obsolete because African women already hold power in their own right.
THE MINISTRY OF MEMORIES
Is This the Federation Nnamdi Azikiwe Fought For?
Nigeria celebrates its 65th independence anniversary during a period of uninterrupted 26 years of democratic governance. Despite this commendable sustenance of democracy, the country struggles to unite as ethnic tension rises.
THE MINISTRY OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS
Angola’s ‘Inorganic’ Techno-Democracy
In Angola, the intersection of technology and governance is forging an unconventional democratic landscape—one that emerges spontaneously and outside traditional political structures. While the regime has long maintained control through conventional means, the rapid proliferation of digital platforms, social media, and encrypted communication is enabling civic engagement beyond state oversight.
THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE X TECHNOLOGY / THE REPUBLIC INTERVIEWS
‘Who Do We Imagine AI Is Built By and Built For?’
With AI proponents promising to ‘save’ Africa, Nanjala Nyabola asks an urgent question: what happens when a continent’s future is outsourced to someone else’s imagination? We discuss the politics of technology, the myth of the ‘cloud’, and why the next digital revolution must begin with African women.
THE MINISTRY OF SECURITY
Restrategizing Northern Nigerian Security Beyond Border Fences
Nigeria’s worsening insecurity cannot be curtailed by border fences alone, as suggested by the chief of defence staff, but by the government investing in border communities, strengthening local infrastructure and deepening cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries.
THE MINISTRY OF WORLD AFFAIRS
Is the Spate of African Coups Affecting the French Economy?
Since 2021, France has witnessed a decline in economic growth. A key question is whether France’s ailing economy has any connection to the recent spate of coups and subsequent loss of key long-term allies in Francophone Africa.
THE REPUBLIC RECOMMENDS
7 Books to Read if You Didn’t Study Nigerian History in School
In 1977, historian Obaro Ikime delivered a lecture, ‘History and the Changing Cultures of Nigeria’, responding to Alhaji Shetima Ali Munguno’s disapproval of what he saw at the University of Calabar. Ikime argued that one of Nigeria’s greatest problems is our ‘inadequate knowledge of history and the ways of life of the various groups that make up Nigeria.’ As Nigeria turns 65, it is important to return to that history.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Rethinking the United Nations’ Role in Africa’s Development
The United Nations’ celebration of its 80th anniversary provides an opportunity to investigate the institution’s involvement in Africa and analyze an age-old academic question that has made its way into mainstream consciousness: Does the UN prioritize locally defined African needs or external northern interests?
#TRUMPIANAGE
Africa’s Opportunity in the Trumpian Age of American Transactionalism
Amid Trump’s disruptive return, Africa isn’t just reacting—it’s recalibrating. The continent has the opportunity to turn Washington’s unpredictability into a strategic advantage.
Call for Pitches: Nigeria in the World
The Republic is now accepting our next set of pitches. This time, the theme is ‘Nigeria in the World’, with a focus on the intersections between Nigeria’s global standing and...
We Are Hiring: Senior Print and UI Designer
The Republic is looking for a highly motivated and versatile senior print and UI designer to be a pivotal force in maintaining the high aesthetic standards of our print publications...
We Are Hiring Sub-Editors
The Republic is recruiting sub-editors to help deepen, organize, and expand its coverage across Nigeria and Africa. These editors will lead distinct desks—zonal, regional, and thematic—shaping how local realities connect...
Inside Nigerian Freelancers’ Currency Trap
Nigeria’s freelance economy is growing, but for millions of digital workers, receiving international payments remains an extreme sport. If the country wants to export digital labour and capture its value...
THE LATEST IN PRINT
VOL. 9, NO. 3
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Now Available: Our May – July 2025 Print Issue
Featuring:
Republic editor, Wale Lawal, in conversation with Kenyan writer Nanjala Nyabola; Dawn Chinagorom-Abalakam on African and artificial intelligence; Otobong Inieke on the geopolitics of digital technology in Africa; Oyindamola Depo-Oyedokun on the revolutionary rise of Piggyvest. This issue also includes writing by Boluwatife Oyediran on the debates about the acceptability of generative AI in art; Rui Verde on Angola’s inorganic techno-democracy; art, comics, quizzes and much more!
THE LATEST IN PRINT
VOL. 9, NO. 3
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Now Available: Our August – October 2025 Print Issue
Featuring:
Republic editor, Wale Lawal, in conversation with Kenyan writer Nanjala Nyabola; Dawn Chinagorom-Abalakam on African and artificial intelligence; Otobong Inieke on the geopolitics of digital technology in Africa; Oyindamola Depo-Oyedokun on the revolutionary rise of Piggyvest. This issue also includes writing by Boluwatife Oyediran on the debates about the acceptability of generative AI in art; Rui Verde on Angola’s inorganic techno-democracy; art, comics, quizzes and much more!
vol.8 no.1 / EDITOR'S FOREWORD
‘An African Feminist Manifesto’
For whom is the transformative potential of feminism new? Our latest issue, An African Feminist Manifesto, considers the imperatives for Black African feminism(s) in our uniquely uncertain times, plus more.
COVER ESSAY
The Afterlives of #EndSARS
Member of the Feminist Coalition and organizer of the #ArewaMeToo and #NorthNormal movements, Fakhrriyyah Hashim, reflects on #EndSARS five years after ‘Feminists against SARS’ redefined national consciousness on police violence.
THE MINISTRY OF ARTs / PHOTO DEPT.
The Disruptive Potential of Frida Orupabo’s Metamorphic Women
To encounter a body in collage is to momentarily believe the human form is physically and even gesturally incapable of coming up against its own limitations. Frida Orupabo’s collages do this so well. They haunt the viewer with fond, familiar and unexpected shapes.
THE MINISTRY OF MEMORIES
A Womanist Reading of African Women in Abrahamic Tradition
Though the presence of Abrahamic tradition within global Black consciousness often finds expression through male-dominated narratives, a closer examination uncovers Black women at the very centres of the most path-altering moments in the tradition, offering analogues with which Black women have interpreted, reimagined and reclaimed their past, present, and future.
THE MINISTRY OF ARTs / BOOKS DEPT.
50 Years of Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen
In 1974, Buchi Emecheta’s novel, Second-Class Citizen, was published. While this novel has inspired a generation of African writers, the themes Emecheta explored—such as Black immigrant life in the UK and the ills of a patriarchal society—remain as relevant today as ever.
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Our latest issue, An African Manual for Debugging Empire, confronts the erasure of Africans in global tech debates and highlights the ways the continent is actively shaping, contesting and redefining the futures of AI.
continue reading
We get it. Sometimes the headline stories are just not enough.
ARTS & CULTURE
How a Flowing Veil Shaped My Identity
‘The laffaya is elegant, but it is also instructive. It teaches you how to move, how to hold your head high. There is a sensuality in the way it wraps...
From Nigeria With Love
‘I don’t recall the exact moment it dawned on me that almost everyone I called a friend had left Nigeria, but the realization was shattering. Having a friend leave you...
A Yoruba Woman’s Notes on Language as a Barrier, Bridge and Bedrock
‘But how disturbing it is that my own language, one filled with so much beauty and melody, would be considered foreign to me. Why did I not think in my...
Finding Rest on All Souls’ Day
‘We are at your grave. Everyone is crying, everyone is wishing you goodbye. All I have are paralyzed emotions depicted by a numb countenance. When the saints go marching in...
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BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY
Inside Nigerian Freelancers’ Currency Trap
Nigeria’s freelance economy is growing, but for millions of digital workers, receiving international payments remains an extreme sport. If the country wants to export digital labour and capture its value...
What Naira Decoupling Means for Nigeria’s Economy
For decades, oil has dictated the fate of the naira. When crude prices soared, the currency strengthened; when they collapsed, the naira buckled. This cycle, so familiar to Nigerians, once...
Is the Decline of Nigeria’s Nightlife a Blessing in Disguise?
Tinubu’s economic reforms have had an unintended consequence: the collapse of Nigeria’s once-vibrant nightlife. In its wake, a surprising twist has emerged. Young Nigerians are channelling their frustrations from dance...
The Vanishing Dream of Nigeria’s Middle Class
Rice costs more, the naira buys less, and the middle class is checking out. From golden-age dreams post-independence to present japa-fuelled exits, this essay traces how Nigeria’s middle class rose,...
HISTORY
The Betrayal of Mandela’s Apartheid Liberation Movement
Although Nelson Mandela’s presidency fostered hope for a permanent end to the woes of the apartheid era, South Africa’s non-white population have come to realize that they are still under...
Is This the Federation Nnamdi Azikiwe Fought For?
Nigeria celebrates its 65th independence anniversary during a period of uninterrupted 26 years of democratic governance. Despite this commendable sustenance of democracy, the country struggles to unite as ethnic tension...
7 Books to Read if You Didn’t Study Nigerian History in School
In 1977, historian Obaro Ikime delivered a lecture, ‘History and the Changing Cultures of Nigeria’, responding to Alhaji Shetima Ali Munguno’s disapproval of what he saw at the University of...
The Rocky Independence of Congo-Brazzaville
Since its independence from France 65 years ago, the Republic of Congo has remained profoundly shaped by its Marxist-Leninist past, marked by authoritarian resilience and intimate Chinese connections.
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POLITICS
Wi-Fi Warriors and Homeland Dreams
In a country failed by peace agreements, connection didn’t disappear—it went online. South Sudan’s digital diaspora challenges the glossy myths of Silicon Valley and insists that innovation thrives not only...
Angola’s ‘Inorganic’ Techno-Democracy
In Angola, the intersection of technology and governance is forging an unconventional democratic landscape—one that emerges spontaneously and outside traditional political structures. While the regime has long maintained control through...
The Recalibrated Presidency of Brice Oligui Nguema
In April 2025, Brice Oligui Nguema was formally elected as president of the Gabonese Republic. Two years on from the coup d’état that overthrew the Bongo dynasty in August 2023,...
Tinubu’s Rough Road to the 2027 Elections Post-Buhari’s Death
The death of former president Muhammadu Buhari has put President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a precarious political position where he risks losing the support of the north, which can cost...
RADIO REPUBLIC
The Republic: Season 1, Episode 1 Transcript IBB, the Evil Genius
We all grew up hearing about ‘June 12’, but how well do you know what really happened? Let’s find out together. The first episode of The Republic is now available...
The Republic: Season 1, Episode 2 Transcript MKO: The Man Nigeria Waited to See
This episode will establish M. K. O. Abiola as a major actor. It will examine his personal life; his initial foray into business and politics; and areas of his life...
The Republic: Season 1, Episode 3 Transcript Two Sides of the Same Coin
In this episode, we take a look at the key election candidates and what platforms they ran under. We compare their profiles and proposed agendas for Nigeria, highlighting what political...
The Republic: Season 1, Episode 4 Transcript June 12: Freest and Fairest of Them All
After eight years of anticipation, and eight years of promises from General Ibrahim Babangida’s junta, Nigerians were finally about to have their say at the ballot box. In this week’s...
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
An African Manual for Debugging Empire
Our latest issue, An African Manual for Debugging Empire, confronts the erasure of Africans in global tech debates and highlights the ways the continent is actively shaping, contesting and redefining...
The Geopolitics of Digital Technology in Africa
As the world leans into the fourth industrial revolution, Africa has become a frontier for the geopolitical power play of China and the United States. Amid this, African governments must...
‘Who Do We Imagine AI Is Built By and Built For?’
With AI proponents promising to ‘save’ Africa, Nanjala Nyabola asks an urgent question: what happens when a continent’s future is outsourced to someone else’s imagination? We discuss the politics of...
The Dark Matter of Genetics
From his mother’s community chemist shop in Enugu to a Toronto lab, Nigerian pharmacist Chukwunonso Nwabufo is building a device that could save lives by revealing how your genes respond...
WORLD AFFAIRS
Is the Spate of African Coups Affecting the French Economy?
Since 2021, France has witnessed a decline in economic growth. A key question is whether France’s ailing economy has any connection to the recent spate of coups and subsequent loss...
Rethinking the United Nations’ Role in Africa’s Development
The United Nations’ celebration of its 80th anniversary provides an opportunity to investigate the institution’s involvement in Africa and analyze an age-old academic question that has made its way into...
Is the United Nations Going South?
With waning multilateralism, the United Nations is experimenting with new geographies, relocating agencies to cities in the global South. Can a strategy born of austerity also reshape legitimacy and influence?
After Bandung
Exactly 70 years ago, African and Asian states gathered to imagine a world beyond empire. Their dream of solidarity—its failures and achievements—still haunts global politics.
