Culture & Society
‘After the End of History Comes More History’ Thula Simpson’s First Draft
South African historian and author of History of South Africa: From 1902 to the Present, Thula Simpson, believes the most common misconception about South African history is related to apartheid: ‘Many believe that apartheid is the central thread of South African history, the overwhelming fact, the unifying category to which all roads and streams must lead, and which can explain all. In fact, apartheid is a specific period in a much longer history of segregation, and it cannot be understood except in the context of that wider story.’ Read More...
The Nigeria Manifesto Book Review: The Trouble with Nigeria by Chinua Achebe
Forty years since its publication, Ernest Nweke believes that if there was ever a ‘right’ man to write any particular book, then Achebe is the man, and The Trouble with Nigeria is the book. What makes this book stand out is its boldness in speaking truth to power. Read More...
‘Writing Is a Way of Being, a Mode of Inquiry, a Compulsion, a Pleasure’ Kemi Alabi’s First Draft
Poet and author of Against Heaven, Kemi Alabi, is experiencing a new disability and profound grief around the limits of care for sick Black people: ‘I’m wrestling with fear, anger; a complete reorientation to time, to my body, to the ableist world—and it’s demanding more honest language from me. I wish I could write around all this, but guided by Audre Lorde, I’ll write through.’ Read More...
The Many Faces of Binyavanga Wainaina The Important Truths in How to Write About Africa
The late Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina, made a career out of collecting and creating certain truths, whether of Africa, or of food, or of colonialism, or of racism, or of any of the other things that excited him intellectually. In a new posthumous collection of essays collected by Achal Prabhala, the truths most important to him are presented to us. Read More...
Poetry from a Formalist Lens Book Review: Heaven is a Metaphor by Samuel A. Adeyemi
In his debut chapbook, Heaven is a Metaphor, Samuel A. Adeyemi understands that it is not the passion for self-expression, writes Ancci, but the conscious command of language that makes poetry that is worth rereading. Read More...
7 New Books to Read Before the End of the Year
Whether you are looking to achieve the reading goals you set earlier this year, or simply want to immerse yourself in books with well-crafted narratives and resourceful non-fiction, these books have something for every reader. Read More...
‘I’m Not Afraid of a Blank Page’ Dipo Faloyin’s First Draft
Nigerian journalist and author of Africa Is Not a Country, Dipo Faloyin, was frustrated by the fact that when most people think of Africa, they picture one of two things, poverty or safari: ‘I wanted to create something that both dispelled those myths while painting a comprehensive, reality-based picture of the past, present, and future of the continent.’ Read More...
How the Bigg Have Fallen A Tale of Mr Bigg’s’ Fall from Glory and Troubled Attempt at a Comeback
Every now and then, a fresh X post asking, ‘What happened to Mr Bigg’s?’ pops up, evoking myriads of theories and nostalgic tales from younger millennials and Gen Zs. For most Nigerians in this demographic, the fall of the once eminent brand is simply confounding. Read More...
‘I Had to Treat My Debut Novel Like a Job’ DK Nnuro’s First Draft
Ghanaian novelist and author of What Napoleon Could Not Do, DK Nnuro, says his debut novel was inspired by his experiences: ‘Since relocating to the US from Ghana, I have had one foot firmly placed among Black immigrants—Ghanaian immigrants, specifically—and another among Black Americans. It was natural that I would explore the tensions between the two in a novel.’ Read More...
The Price and Fleetingness of Good Things Book Review: A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
A Spell of Good Things, a novel by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ, is more than a cautionary tale. It is a successful attempt at showing who we are, where we are, and what needs to be done. Read More...
