Culture & Society
The Imminent Rise of ‘Podcastars’ How Digital Oral Storytelling is Influencing Culture in Nigeria
The proliferation of podcasts in Nigeria has given rise to a new class of luminaries, who position themselves as promoters of Nigerian popular culture. ‘Podcastars’ are building formidable personal brands and social capital through the podcasts they host—but how far can they go? Read More...
The Leaking Basket Why You, and Your New President, Should Care About Benue State
The state of the agricultural sector in Benue State is a microcosm of the challenges and opportunities facing the broader sector nationally. Hence, solving the food crisis in Benue could go some way towards solving the food crisis in Nigeria. Read More...
Ama Ata Aidoo’s Illimitable Voice Ama Ata Aidoo (1942-2023)
Ama Ata Aidoo, whose works include The Dilemma of a Ghost (1962), Our Sister Killjoy (1977), Someone Talking to Sometime (1986), and Changes: A Love Story (1991), has died aged 81. The Ghanaian novelist, poet, and playwright was a renowned feminist whose works celebrated the lives of Ghanaian and African women. Read More...
What Makes a Guinness World Record Official? The Convoluted Mechanics of Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records is a global authority in the complex realm of record-breaking achievements. The organization is only partially immune to ethical shortcomings. Hilda Baci’s recent record-breaking attempt offers an opportunity to peer into what makes a world record ‘official’ according to Guinness. Read More...
‘Being an Editor Is a Magical Work’ Chimeka Garricks’ First Draft
Nigerian author and editor, Chimeka Garricks, didn’t intend for the Niger-Delta crisis to be the main theme of his debut novel, Tomorrow Died Yesterday. ‘I tried to write the truth as I know it. To show that the issues are complex, hued with plenty of grey, and that all major players are complicit in varying ways to the dysfunction,’ he told us in our latest, First Draft interview. Read More...
To Be or Not to Be Surreal? Abba T. Makama’s Biggest Question Yet
‘We chose the term “surreal” not because we were surrealist filmmakers,’ Abba T. Makama says of his collective, Surreal16. ‘We felt surrealism was another word for dreaming. When you’re dreaming, the ego is asleep and you’re running on the unconscious. You’re free. It’s about freedom of creativity.’ Read More...
Surviving the Long Shadow of Trauma Life after the Owo Church Massacre
Nearly a year after a shooting took place at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, we visited the church, where despite the trauma of surviving a massacre, church members have returned, and service has resumed. Read More...
‘There Is Nothing Simple About Writing a Book’ Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ’s First Draft
Nigerian novelist, Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, wrote her award-winning debut novel, Dazzling, ‘because nothing like it exists at the moment’. Read More...
Coming of Age Amidst Political Instability and Western Influence Book Review: The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa, a novel by Stephen Buoro, deftly navigates the tension between what informs desire and the instinct to shirk it. The novel aims to highlight the complexities of living in a country like Nigeria through the perspective of a malleable teenager full of promise. Read More...
The Gravitational Pull of Hilda Baci From Online Culinary Sensation to Guinness World Record Holder?
What drew Nigerians to Hilda Baci's cooking marathon wasn’t just the possible triumph of a new world record but the allure of audacious hope. Read More...
