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Berkhout

The Nigerian Heart of Joop Berkhout

Femke van Zeijl·September 21, 2025
Joop Berkhout, an icon of Nigeria’s publishing industry for almost six decades, died in February 2025 in Ibadan. He nurtured generations of writers and built Spectrum Books into a publishing powerhouse, yet also embraced the ‘big man’ culture of his adopted country with remarkable ease. Read More...
August/September 2025Nigeria
First Draft

10 African Writers on How They Actually Wrote Their Books

Ijapa O·September 21, 2025
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. Read More...
August/September 2025First DraftInterviews
Design

The Republic Wins at the 365: AIGA Year in Design 2024 Awards

Tomi Olugbemi·September 21, 2025
The Republic’s 2024 print magazine run (Volume 8) has been named a winner at the 365: AIGA Year in Design 2024 Awards! Read More...
August/September 2025Dispatch
Liberia

Liberia’s Complex 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

6 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

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

The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠ ⁠ The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠
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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.⁠
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Do you have a favourite William Onyeabor song? Let us know in the comments, and read the full story at the link in bio. ⁠
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📝: 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⚡⁠
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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.⁠
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Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠
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⁠📝: 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 ⏳⁠
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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. ⁠
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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.⁠
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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 ⚡⁠
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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.⁠
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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.⁠
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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⚡⁠
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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.⁠
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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.'⁠
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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. ⁠
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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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