About
Log In / Register
Newsletters
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Plagiarism Policy

Home
Countries
- Algeria
- Angola
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
First Draft
Podcasts
- The Republic Season 1
Shop
- Stockists
Submissions
Support
Archive
Advertise
Subscribe

Lagos Avenue

Lagos Avenue

Manasseh Azure Awuni·

April/May 2025 Fiction vol9-no2

·May 22, 2025

Conversation in transit

Conversation in Transit

April/May 2025 Fiction vol9-no2

·May 22, 2025

Fiction

CURRENT ISSUE

Current-Issue

Topics

Climate Change Culture & Society Economics Gender & Feminism History International Affairs Politics & Security Science & Technology

We’re on Instagram!

republicjournal

The essential guide to the ideas, trends, people and stories shaping Nigeria and the broader African continent. Subscribe from N5,000/$5.99 monthly.

‘Nothing Should Be Out of Bounds When Writing’

‘Nothing Should Be Out of Bounds When Writing’ #OnSite⚡⁠
⁠
In today’s First Draft interview, Iris Mwanza shares how a newspaper story about a teenage boy beaten by a mob in Zambia inspired her debut novel, ‘The Lions’ Den’.⁠
⁠
She also discusses how reading has helped her navigate grief, the best book she has read this year, the problem with the rise of authoritarianism in the West, Zora Neale Hurston’s influence on her writing, the writing advice she received from Namwali Serpell and more.⁠
⁠
Read Mwanza’s full interview by clicking this image at the link in our bio.⁠
__________________________⁠
⁠
📝: Iris Mwanza (@iriscmwanza)⁠
🎨: Iris Mwanza. Illustration by Kevwe Ogini (@dfutureart)⁠
🔍: Ijapa O (@ijapa_o), Peace Onafuye (yetundeandbooks), Editors

Today in 1791, the Haitian revolution began. #RPUB

Today in 1791, the Haitian revolution began. #RPUBLCHistory⌛️⁠
⁠
In the early hours of 23 August 1791, enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) rose up in a massive insurrection. This uprising ignited the Haitian Revolution, which became the most successful slave revolt in North America, ultimately leading to Haiti’s independence.⁠
⁠
Read more about Haiti at the link in bio. ⁠
_____________⁠
📝: Adams Adeosun and Ugonna Eronini
📷: 1) Attack and take of the Crête-à-Pierrot by Auguste Raffet. Wikimedia Commons.⁠
2) Haitian Revolution - Black slaves killing white slavers. Wikimedia Commons.⁠
3) Haitian Revolution. Wikimedia Commons.

The Weight of Duty #OnSite⚡️⁠ ⁠ At 17, unp

The Weight of Duty #OnSite⚡️⁠
⁠
At 17, unprepared and still reeling from loss, Azubuike Obi was suddenly expected to fill his father’s shoes. 'I am the first son. Diọkpara. What it means is that I carry on from where my father stopped. It means that others cry, and I console,' he writes. He remembers learning to shave by watching YouTube tutorials while grief pressed heavily on his chest. 'I hated that I shaved it properly without his help,' he says, 'It meant I was moving on; that I could do without him.' In the early months, he consoled relatives while secretly battling his own tears, questioned whether he was worthy of his family’s expectations, and realized that even his career choices were no longer his own. When he joked about becoming a primary school teacher, his sister’s horrified reaction cut deep. She reminded him that he was the first son and, whether or not he liked it or not, he had responsibilities to fulfil. Three years on, Azubuike is learning to live with the weight. He finds small joys working with children, takes long morning walks, and clings to moments of quiet. 'I leave home every day, saddling my bag of responsibilities—known and unknown—hoping this is not the day my failure materializes,’ he writes. This is not only a story about grief, it is also about the burdens placed on a young man, the demand to be a pillar when he is still learning to stand. It is about the courage it takes to keep trying, learning, and living, even when every step feels inadequate.⁠
⁠
Read the full essay by clicking this post at the link in bio. ⁠
_________________________⁠
📝: Azubuike Obi (@Samexistingg).⁠
📷: Illustration by William Igwilo / THE REPUBLIC.⁠
🔍: Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Peace Yetunde Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks).

Today in 1978, Jomo Kenyatta died at the age of 86

Today in 1978, Jomo Kenyatta died at the age of 86. #RPUBLCHistory⌛️⁠
⁠
To older Kenyans, Kenyatta remains the saviour who freed them from colonial rule. But beneath the surface, a more complex picture emerges. Edwin Chege’s essay is a historical analysis that dismantles three major myths about Kenya's founding father. ⁠
⁠
Myth 1: The Pan-Africanist Reformer – While Kenyatta did organize the 1945 Pan-African Congress alongside W.E.B Du Bois and future leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, he abandoned these ideals upon gaining power. He replaced white colonial elites with African ones (mainly his Kikuyu tribe) while maintaining the same unequal system and used his position for personal enrichment.⁠
⁠
Myth 2: The Mau Mau Leader – Despite being imprisoned for ‘managing the Mau Mau’, Kenyatta was never actually their leader. His moderate, constitutional approach put him at odds with the militant group, and he even publicly discredited them. His conviction was based on a corrupt trial with bribed witnesses and a compromised judge. After independence, Kenyatta ignored Mau Mau veterans, denied them land redistribution, and appointed their enemies to key government positions.⁠
⁠
Myth 3: Father of Independence – This overlooks crucial figures like Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who campaigned for Kenyatta's release when other leaders had written him off, and Tom Mboya, who internationalized the struggle and organized the famous Kennedy Airlifts that educated 1,000 Africans in US universities. ⁠
⁠
Kenyatta's skill, Chege writes, wasn't leading the independence struggle; it was positioning himself as its symbol while others did most of the heavy lifting.⁠
⁠
Read the full essay at the link in bio.⁠
⁠
___________________⁠
📝: Edwin Chege⁠
📷: Jomo Kenyatta, 22 August 1978. Dutch National Archives/Wikimedia Commons. ⁠
🔍: Wemi Moyela, Elizabeth Abati, Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors.

For Over 60 Years, these Kenyan Women Have Sought

For Over 60 Years, these Kenyan Women Have Sought Justice for Being Raped by British Soldiers. #RPUBLCNews📡
⁠
Although previous attempts to secure legal recourse for the victims have failed, a recent UK court ruling could finally enable many of these women to discover the fathers of their children.⁠
⁠
----------
📝: Chidinma Nebolisa (@nmanebolisa_)⁠
📸: 6) Ntoyie Lenkanan, one of the victims, pictured at her home. Festo Lang / CNN⁠
🔍: Ezinne Osueke (Ezinne Osueke.o.osueke), Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Tomi Olugbemi (@bytomilade); Editors.⁠

How ‘Defending African Values’ Masks a New Col

How ‘Defending African Values’ Masks a New Colonization #OnSite⚡️⁠
⁠
Between 9 and 16 May 2025, two seemingly innocent conferences took place in Uganda and Kenya: the 'Interparliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty' and the 'Pan-African Conference on Family Values'. But beneath the African branding, Arya Jeipea Karijo writes, lies something far more sinister: a coordinated campaign by right-wing and Christian supremacist groups using African faces as proxies. The conferences featured organizations like Family Watch International, Alliance for Defending Freedom, and the Family Research Council, many of which have been designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Centre in America. These are the same forces behind Trump's politics and Europe's right-wing surge, now exporting their ideology to Africa through slick rebranding like 'Family Watch Africa'. The real agenda? Dismantling the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, withdrawing from the World Health Organization, fighting against the rights and agency of queer people, and imposing Euro-American conservative values under the guise of 'African sovereignty'. Karijo writes that it is colonial violence wrapped in a cultural cloak. When colonizers return with conferences and not guns, talking about 'family values' while systematically attacking the well-being of African women, girls, and queer people, we must ask: whose values are being defended here? ⁠
⁠
Read the full essay here at the link in bio⁠
_________________________⁠
📝: Arya jeipea Karijo (@arya_jeipea).⁠
📷: Photo Illustration by Ezinne Osueke (@ezinne.o.osueke) / THE REPUBLIC. Source Ref: WIKIMEDIA.⁠
🔍: Ololade Faniyi (@lolamargaret_)⁠, Peace Yetunde Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks); Editors.

Masthead
Submissions
Press Forward
Contact Us
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Plagiarism Policy

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © THE REPUBLIC INC, 2016-2025

Log In
Subscribe
Home
Advertise
Countries
- Algeria
- Angola
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Eritrea
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Libya
- Mali
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
First Draft
The Black Atlantic
Newsletters
Podcasts
Shop
- Shop
- Stockists
Submissions
Support The Republic
Archive

Type to search or hit ESC to close

See all results

Username
Password

	Remember Me Lost your password?

Forgotten Password

Cancel

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Click here to learn more. CONTINUE

Show More

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary

Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT