Culture & Society
‘Na Mumu Dey Go Boutique’ The Essential Economics of Nigeria’s Okrika Industry
Deeply rooted in Nigeria’s culture and commerce, Okrika (thrift clothes) is a vital source of affordable clothing for many Nigerians. A looming ban on Okrika is set to change not just Nigeria’s fashion industry but life in Nigeria as we know it. Read More...
‘Romance Is Good for the Soul’ Yejide Kilanko’s First Draft
Nigerian novelist and author of Daughters Who Walk This Path, Yejide Kilanko, wants to write more children’s books in the future: ‘I have had the privilege of publishing two children’s picture books. I want to write more children’s books that feature diverse characters. Every child should be able to see themselves represented in accessible books.’ Read More...
Nigeria’s Mirage of Religious Freedom How Traditional Worshippers are Navigating Nigeria’s Landscape of Religious Intolerance
Like many worshippers of non-Abrahamic religions in Nigeria, adherents of Isese have routinely faced discrimination, hostility and human rights abuses. Can Isese followers achieve the improved political and social recognition they seek? Read More...
‘My Writing Is Rarely Inspired by Societal Happenings’ Ekemini Pius’ First Draft
Editor and author of Caine Prize shortlisted story ‘Daughters, By Our Hands’ Ekemini Pius, believes rather than the subject, how a story is written makes a text powerful. Read More...
The Arrival of Burna Boy Remembering L.I.F.E Ten Years Later
Exactly ten years ago, Burna Boy released his debut album. L.I.F.E was a bold and unsafe debut; has it lived up to its promise? Read More...
‘My Practice and Method of Writing Are Obsessive’ Ernest Nweke’s First Draft
Author of ‘Nigeria vs the South East: The Glaring Igbophobia of the 2023 Elections’ Ernest Nweke, believes the anti-Igbo bigotry of the last election season was an experience many Igbos are familiar with despite denial and gaslighting from the rest of Nigeria. Read More...
Who’s Afraid of Nigerian Literature? The Resilience of Nigerian Writing
The exodus of a new generation of Nigerian writers has sparked discussions about the state of Nigerian literature in recent times. Some have asserted that Nigerian literature is dead or dying and that writing from within a Nigerian context, from home, is becoming an endangered art. Read More...
The Miseducation of Nigerian Poets The Excessive Influence of American Literary Magazines on Nigerian Poetry
Social media sparked a new life into Nigerian literature in the 2010s. But since American magazines became more prominent to Nigerian poets, many are seemingly now in a choreography of style and themes. Read More...
‘A Great Story Makes Readers Genuinely Feel Seen’ Ẹlọ́hór Ẹ́gbọ́rdí’s First Draft
Editor, Ẹ́lọ́hór Ẹ́gbọ́rdí, believes the biggest misconception about African storytelling is that it is inferior to non-African storytelling. Read More...
Writing from the Collective Memories of Others Revisiting Buchi Emecheta’s Destination Biafra
Since the publication of Destination Biafra by Buchi Emecheta in 1982, many Nigerian writers have made contributions to Biafran War literature. Thirty years on, Emecheta’s novel continues to stand out for its ambitious and distinctive approach to transforming collective memory into a fictionalized Biafra story. Read More...
