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Books

7 Books That Will Make You Fall in Love with Poetry

Ancci·March 23, 2025
In our latest book recommendation, Nigerian writer, Ancci, compiles a list of seven books that will make you fall in love with poetry. The books in this recommendation are wide-ranging in their subjects and inventive in style. Read More...
February/March 2025Read Something AfricanReading
Babangida

Babangida and the Politics of Memory

Adetola Wahab·March 19, 2025
Wale Lawal unpacks ex-military ruler Ibrahim Babangida’s spin on history, A Journey in Service, the cracks in Nigerian activism and the silent collapse of intellectualism in Nigerian universities. Read More...
February/March 2025Nigeria
Tinubu

The New Realpolitik

Muzz Muhammad·March 9, 2025
In a deal between Tinubu’s Nigeria and Trump’s America, Trump wins. Tinubu might win too. The Nigerian people will not. Read More...
February/March 2025Nigeria
Mayara Ferrão

Mayara Ferrão’s Blueprint for Decolonial AI Imagery

Jamila Pereira·March 9, 2025
No stranger to the tensions underlying the usage of AI in visual art, Mayara Ferrão is at the forefront of a bold artistic revolution, exploring how artists can use AI to challenge the biases entrenched in mainstream imagery. Through her lens, feminist and queer aesthetics dismantle patriarchal narratives, reimagining identity and inclusion in a rapidly digitizing world. Read More...
February/March 2025
Cameroon

A Song for Cameroon

Achille Tenkiang·March 9, 2025
As artists across the world sampled Manu Dibango’s ‘Soul Makossa’ for global hits, his original contribution faded into the background—a powerful metaphor for how Cameroon’s cultural exports are often consumed without recognition of their origins. Read More...
CameroonFebruary/March 2025
Nigeria

Can Nigeria’s Centre Hold?

Afolabi Adekaiyaoja·March 9, 2025
With the establishment of regional commissions, is Nigeria inching close to true federalism or witnessing the failure of the current governance system? Read More...
February/March 2025Nigeria
Books

10 Books That Belong on Your Reading List This Women’s History Month

Angel Nduka-Nwosu·March 9, 2025
To celebrate Women’s History Month, Nigerian writer and editor, Angel Nduka-Nwosu, compiles a list of books by Black women that belong on your reading list this month and beyond. These books capture the multifaceted experiences of Black women. Read More...
February/March 2025Read Something AfricanReading
Feminist

On Being a ‘Feminist Human’ in an Anti-rights Era

Ololade Faniyi·March 2, 2025
In an era of accelerating anti-rights movements, our feminist liberation depends not on narrowing the gates of belonging, but on dismantling the very logic of exclusion that has been weaponized against all women. Read More...
February/March 2025Nigeria
Credit ratings

The Neo-Colonial Logic of Global Credit Ratings

Nosike Nwajide·March 2, 2025
The influence of credit rating giants, Moody’s Investor Service, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, in Africa is deeply rooted in colonial legacies. Their systemic biases and harmful economic implications have made African-led reforms to reclaim financial sovereignty necessary. Read More...
February/March 2025
Film

Netflix Decommissions and the Future of Nigerian Filmmaking

Claudia Efemini·March 2, 2025
To reduce overreliance on foreign streaming services like Netflix, the Nigerian film industry must prioritize investment in local distribution and a commitment to quality. Read More...
February/March 2025Nigeria

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The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠ ⁠ The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠ ⁠ Emmanuel Esomnofu explores the enigmatic life and music of William Onyeabor, the reclusive Nigerian musician who died in 2017. Onyeabor’s music is described as ‘strange’—psychedelic, physical and pulsating, yet eerily subdued—blending funk with moralistic and fatalistic themes about death, heaven, hell and humanity.⁠ Despite commercial success, Onyeabor was profoundly reclusive, declining to speak in a 2014 documentary, ‘Fantastic Man’, about his music and legacy. He stopped making music by 1985, ran a flour mill, was named West African Industrialist of the Year in 1987, and later entered politics.⁠ ⁠ Do you have a favourite William Onyeabor song? Let us know in the comments, and read the full story at the link in bio. ⁠ ____________⁠ 📝: Emmanuel Esomnofu⁠ 📷: Photo Illustration by Ukandi Atsu (@ukandiatsu) / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid⁠ 🔍: Hanna Desta, Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors
The Misunderstood Economics of Igba Ọsọ Ahịa #OnSi The Misunderstood Economics of Igba Ọsọ Ahịa #OnSite⚡⁠ ⁠ Emmanuel Azubuike examines Igba Ọsọ Ahịa, an Igbo business practice in which traders without shops or goods direct customers to other vendors' shops in exchange for a share of the profits. Among those profiled in this story is Chiamaka Ukaegbulam, who adopted this system after the Abia State government demolished her salon on 8 September 2021 during efforts to remove uninhabitable structures. She now canvasses customers in Ariaria Market, established in 1976 and one of West Africa's largest daily markets, with over 37,000 shops. Azubuike writes that Igba Ọsọ Ahịa transcends intermediation, functioning as a social framework that embodies Igbo values of mutual support, trust and kinship. The practice operates through verbal agreements, allowing agents to temporarily assume a form of shop ownership. Despite criticisms around extortion and the sale of counterfeit goods, Azubuike proposes that formalising Igba Ọsọ Ahịa could help address poverty among Nigeria's eighty-eight million citizens living in extreme deprivation by generating employment through indigenous economic solutions.⁠ ⁠ Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠ ____________⁠ ⁠📝: Emmanuel Azubuike (@emmanuelac_14)⁠ 📷: Photo Illustration by Ukandi Atsu / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid⁠ 🔍: Hanna Desta, Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠.⁠
Today in 1931, Flora Nwapa was born. #RPUBLCHistor Today in 1931, Flora Nwapa was born. #RPUBLCHistory ⏳⁠ ⁠ Ukamaka Olisakwe reflects on Flora Nwapa's legacy, examining how the pioneering Nigerian writer dedicated her life to the craft during a period when women writers were not accorded the same respect as their male counterparts. ⁠In analysing Nwapa's debut novel ‘Efuru’ (particularly the character of Ajanupu), Olisakwe shows how Nwapa’s resistance to marginalisation helped lay the groundwork for generations of African women writers who followed. ⁠When London publisher Heinemann failed to distribute her books, creating conditions for piracy, Nwapa founded Tana Press in 1976 (the first African press run by a woman) after securing a bank loan and reluctant support from her husband. ⁠ ⁠ Olisakwe also reveals Nwapa's pragmatic approach to her marriage and her alignment with Alice Walker's womanism over Western feminism. Nwapa's community ultimately broke tradition by conferring upon her the title of Ogbuefi (reserved for men), recognizing this ‘woman of timber and calibre’ whose dedication continues to inspire writers like Olisakwe, who founded Isele Magazine.⁠ ⁠ Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠ _________________⁠ 📝: Ukamaka Olisakwe (@MsOlisakwe)⁠ 🎨: Illustration by Charles Owen / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid ⁠ 🔍: Chidinma Nebolisa (@nmanebolisa_), Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors.⁠
Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea? #OnS Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea? #OnSite ⚡⁠ ⁠ Olakunle Mohammed argues that it isn’t. Drawing on an interview with retired US Major Adebayo Adeleke, Mohammed explains that while Nigeria is strategically important for counterterrorism, a permanent US military base could undermine sovereignty, reinforce neo-colonial dynamics, and create long-term dependence.⁠ ⁠ The argument feels especially urgent now. Recent US airstrikes in Northern Nigeria have called Nigeria's military sovereignty into question, while Donald Trump’s threats of further intervention show how quickly 'counterterrorism' or 'religious protection' can slide into unilateral military action.⁠ ⁠ Mohammed situates his argument within Africa’s mixed history with foreign military bases—from France’s 2013 intervention in Mali to its expulsion from Niger and Burkina Faso in 2023, where external security guarantees have repeatedly eroded local authority rather than strengthened it.⁠ ⁠ What do you think? Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea?⁠ ⁠ Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠ ____________ ⁠ ⁠ 📝: Olakunle Mohammed (@olakunile)⁠ 📷: 1) Collage by Dami Mojid / THE REPUBLIC. Ref: HARANDANE DICKO / UN PHOTO.⁠ 🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks), Ada Nnadi (@horneddaughter), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠
The Endless Life of Onyeka Onwenu. #OnSite⚡⁠ ⁠ Thi The Endless Life of Onyeka Onwenu. #OnSite⚡⁠ ⁠ This story examines the life and legacy Nigerian pop icon Onyeka Onwenu, who died in July 2024 at 70. Kéchi Nne Nomu argues that Onwenu was instrumental in creating the distinct Nigerian sound of the 1970s-1990s, though her contributions are often overlooked in global conversations that simplify this history.⁠ ⁠ The author traces Onwenu's career from her 1980 return from New York, through her groundbreaking 1984 documentary 'Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches,' to her multifaceted roles as singer, broadcaster, actress, and political figure. Onwenu embodied the 'pop icon' archetype with singular grace, moving fluidly between soul, folk, and pop. Her music sought to reimagine Nigeria during the dictatorship years, portraying the country as 'endlessly redeemable.'⁠ ⁠ The story also unpacks her private life, an abusive marriage detailed in her 2020 memoir, a marriage proposal from Fela and her controversial 1998 performance at Abacha's rally. ⁠ ⁠ Read the full story at the link in bio⁠ __________⁠ 📝: Kéchi Nne Nomu (@nuanio)⁠ 📷: Illustration by Ekundayo R. Baiyegunhi / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid ⁠ 🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks), Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠
On Christmas Day this year, America's president, D On Christmas Day this year, America's president, Donald Trump, announced that the US had ordered airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nigeria's North West region. Months earlier, in May, we published a story that examined Trump's (potentially transactional) relationship with Africa. Swipe to read five things to consider about US-Africa relations in the time of Trump. Learn much more by reading the full story at the link in bio.
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