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Liberia

Liberia’s Puzzling Relationship with the United States

Dounard Bondo·September 14, 2025
Since its founding in 1847, the story of Africa’s oldest republic, Liberia, has been entwined with that of the United States. Centuries later, in 2025, is Liberia’s relationship with America one of neo-imperialism or fair partnership? Read More...
August/September 2025Liberia
Diaspora

Diaspora’s Struggle to Belong Home and Away

Adeyemi Adebayo·September 14, 2025
If the media plays an important role in the extreme portrayal of the West as a haven in the mind of the African, we might also assume that the same media largely has a role to play in the making of the self-perception of Africans. Read More...
August/September 2025NigeriaThe Black Atlantic
Rema

Rema Wants a Seat at the ‘Big Three’ Table—Has He Earned It?

Zainab Kuku·September 14, 2025
With sonic versatility and global reach, Rema is rewriting the rules of Afrobeats. But does that earn him a place alongside Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid? Read More...
August/September 2025Nigeria
Queer

You Are Still with Me

Muriithi Kariuki·September 14, 2025
In Kenya, three young queer men built a family from stolen kisses, cheap alcohol, and poetry read aloud on thin mattresses, until the world that refused to make space for them claimed two of their lives. Read More...
August/September 2025Kenya
Sue Nyathi

‘Write for Love Before You Consider Writing for Money’ Sue Nyathi’s First Draft

Sue Nyathi·September 14, 2025
Zimbabwean writer and author of 'The Polygamist', Sue Nyathi, was motivated to write her latest novel, 'An Angel’s Demise', by the lack of knowledge about African history: ‘I realized that I didn’t know the entire history of my country. It made me realize that, for a great part of my life, my existence was whitewashed. I knew a lot about European history, but I couldn’t tell you anything substantial about African history.’ Read More...
August/September 2025First DraftInterviewsZimbabwe
Books

7 Books That Will Convince You That Good Men Do Exist

Ijapa O·September 14, 2025
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of books that will convince you that good men exist. From the former colonial officer who turns against the empire to care for a tortured native woman to the loving father whose unwavering support encourages his daughter’s intellectual curiosity, the men in the books on this list challenge the prevailing stereotypes about men. Read More...
August/September 2025Read Something AfricanReading
Congo

The Rocky Independence of Congo-Brazzaville

Andréa Ngombet·September 7, 2025
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. Read More...
August/September 2025Congo-Brazzaville
Awolowo

How Nora Awolowo Made Nollywood History

Assumpta Audu·September 7, 2025
With a surname etched in Nigeria’s national history, Nora Awolowo strategically charts her own path to continue a legacy of excellence, becoming the youngest person to gross over ₦100 million in Nollywood with ‘Red Circle’. Read More...
August/September 2025Nigeria
Nothing Human

The Dark Side of Charity

Ijapa O·September 7, 2025
Kanyin Ajayi’s English adaptation of French author Marie NDiaye’s Rien d’humain reveals the dark side of charity while also asking audiences to consider how gender violence affects women of various classes. Read More...
August/September 2025Nigeria
Driving

Driving Through Life as a Fully Veiled Muslim Woman

Muti’ah Badruddeen·September 7, 2025
Mutia’ah Badrudeen documents how her decades of driving, as a fully veiled Muslim Yoruba woman across multiple countries, reveal prevailing social ideas about gender, identity and belonging. Read More...
August/September 2025Nigeria

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The Recalibrated Presidency of Brice Oligui Nguema The Recalibrated Presidency of Brice Oligui Nguema #OnSite⚡️⁠
⁠
On August 30, 2023, General Brice Oligui Nguema led a coup that ended the Bongo family's 55-year rule in Gabon. The Gabonese people, fed up with authoritarian rule, called for the dissolution of the former ruling party, the Parti Démocratique Gabonais (PDG) and the complete removal of its officials from power. In April 2025, Nguema was formally elected president with 90% of the vote, promising to, as Bergès Mietté writes, ‘rehabilitate the dignity of the Gabonese people and restore institutional integrity.’ However, despite popular demand for a clean break, he has been quietly reappointing former regime officials to key positions. Mietté notes that while Gabon's Inclusive National Dialogue of April 2024 recommended the immediate suspension of the PDG and barring its members from elections, Nguema has chosen a policy of more ‘inclusion’, essentially rehabilitating the very system people wanted destroyed. Mietté argues that his proximity to the former regime (he once served as Omar Bongo's aide-de-camp) raises serious questions about whether this is a genuine political overhaul or just new wine in old skin.⁠ For a country that celebrated the end of dynastic rule, discovering that the new president is essentially recycling the old guard feels like a betrayal of the revolution's promise. Gabon may have changed its leader, but has it truly changed its system? ⁠
⁠
Read the full essay at the link in bio⁠
________________________________⁠
📝: Bergès Mietté⁠
📷: Photo illustration by Dami Mojid (@dami_mojid) / THE REPUBLIC. Source Ref 1: Swearing-in ceremony of President Brice Nguema, Libreville, 2025. PAUL KAGAME / FLICKR. Ref 2: Omar and Ali Bongo. / EU, FOREIGN OFFICE.⁠
🔍: Hanna Desta, Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors.
Today in 1981, there was a coup in the Central Afr Today in 1981, there was a coup in the Central African Republic (CAR). #RPUBLCHistory⏳ ⁠
⁠
On 01 September 1981, the Central African Republic’s military, led by General André-Dieudonné Kolingba, deposed civilian president, David Dacko. Dacko, who was on an official visit to Libya at the time, was deposed for the second time in 15 years.⁠
⁠
Read more about coups in Africa at the link in bio. ⁠
____________⁠
📝: Adams Adeosun and Ugonna Eronini⁠
📷: 1) André-Dieudonné Kolingba was a Central African politician who was the fourth president of the Central African Republic, from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. International Magazine Services.⁠
2) Central African Republic: Torn Apart by Violence. Flickr. ⁠
3) President of the Central African Republic, David Dacko, welcomes Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi during his visit, 8 August 1962. Wikimedia Commons. ⁠
5 Books to Read After Femi Otedola’s ‘Making i 5 Books to Read After Femi Otedola’s ‘Making it Big’. 📚⁠
⁠
If you’ve just read Femi Otedola’s memoir, Making It Big and are wondering what else to read to understand the Nigerian and African business world, this week’s book recommendations are just for you.⁠
⁠
From books that chronicle the journey of successful businessmen to those that provide insights into the African business world, our recommendations will help you understand what it takes to build a successful business in Africa.⁠
⁠
Have you read any of these books? What books would you recommend? Tell us in the comment section!⁠
⁠
Read the full list by clicking this image at the link in our bio.⁠
___________________________⁠
⁠
#ReadSomethingAfrican⁠
⁠
📝: Ijapa O (@ijapa_o)⁠
🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks); Editor
Today in 1966, Yakubu Gowon restored Nigeria from Today in 1966, Yakubu Gowon restored Nigeria from a unitary state to a federation. #RPUBLCHistory⌛️⁠
⁠
On 31 August 1966, Yakubu Gowon repealed the Unification Decree (Decree No. 34) of the previous Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi administration, returning Nigeria to a federal structure of government.⁠
____________⁠
📝: Adams Adeosun and Ugonna Eronini⁠
📷: 1) 1966 portrait of Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Yakubu Gowon. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS⁠
2) First military head of state, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. United Nations.⁠
3) General Gowon (left) is greeted by Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim (right). UN
7 African Writers and the Books You Would Never Gu 7 African Writers and the Books You Would Never Guess They Own. #OnSite⚡⁠
⁠
In this week’s First Draft column, we asked seven African writers, including Fatima Bala and Ike Anya, about the books on their bookshelves that might catch people by surprise. Here’s what they told us.⁠
⁠
Which book or response surprised you most? Let us know in the comments.⁠
⁠
Swipe to see their responses and read more answers by clicking this image at the link in our bio.⁠
_____________________⁠
⁠
📝: Ijapa O (@ijapa_o)⁠
🎨: Ike Anya; Onyi Nwabineli; Chitra Nagarajan. Illustrations by Kevwe Ogini (@dfutureart)⁠
🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks); Editor
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