Culture & Society
Writers and the Contemporary Books They Believe Will Become Future Classics
In our past First Draft interviews, we asked leading African writers about the contemporary books they believe will become classics in the future. Here’s what they told us. Read More...
The True Cost of Female Agency
In her debut collection, Ghostroots, ’Pemi Aguda challenges our assumptions about the complexities of female relationships, heightening the outcomes by casting them in, and sometimes against, a city that is both magnificent and macabre. Read More...
‘I Hope That My Work Will Never Side with the Oppressor’ Dennis Mugaa’s First Draft
Kenyan writer and author of Half Portraits Under Water, Dennis Mugaa, believes that President William Ruto’s administration is authoritarian: ‘Young people genuinely want a better country, but we are living in a country that has been slowly sliding into authoritarianism over the past two years, since President Ruto’s government took over. Beyond that, his leadership has been very poor.’ Read More...
7 Books That Are Time Machines in Disguise
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of seven books that are time machines in disguise. These books will take you from the Nigerian civil war era to pre-apartheid South Africa, and even many centuries back to the expedition that brought the first African to the Americas. Read More...
Looking for Ken Saro-Wiwa
The Republic: A Podcast is a narrative podcast series exploring pivotal Nigerian and broader African historical events and figures. In the second season, host Wale Lawal traces the life and legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa, one of nine non-violent Ogoni activists the General Sani Abacha military government brutally executed in 1995. Read More...
7 Books That Will Help You Survive the Boredom of Lagos Traffic
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of seven books that will help you survive the boredom of Lagos traffic. Whether a short story collection or a science fiction novella, the books on this list have intriguing plot structures that will immerse you into their worlds, transporting you far from the frustrating stop-and-go of Lagos traffic. Read More...
Nollywood’s Unrefined Portrayal of Sex Work and Sex Workers
Nigerian filmmakers must break free from ingrained stigma, clichés, caricature characters, and internalized disdain for sex work by taking a step further in investigating the lives and individual choices of their characters to challenge normative perceptions and create lasting, meaningful art. Read More...
Nigeria Losing the Olympics Is Only the Beginning
Nigeria’s unimpressive performance in the just concluded Olympics despite a budget of ₦12 billion points to deeper systemic failures, rather than a mere lack of preparation and raises causes for major concern. Read More...
A Conceptual Show Bringing Back the Originality of African Art
At a time when art is becoming more detached and exhibitionist, ‘Whispers of Power’, a live performance by Kenya-based musician, Liboi, staged at Nairobi’s Sarakasi Dome, counters this trend by creating an environment where the audience is an integral part of the performance. Read More...
‘A Writer Who Has Nothing to Say Has Nothing to Write’ Otosirieze Obi-Young’s First Draft
Founder and editor of Open Country Mag, Otosirieze Obi-Young, believes African writers are not credited enough as innovators for their adaptiveness to solving problems on the page: ‘When Damon Galgut flits between the first- and third-person in one sentence in his book, “In a Strange Room”, the acknowledgement never transcends book reviews into literary culture essays or lists.’ Read More...
