Culture & Society
‘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...
Wọn ò fẹ́ wa nibi (They Do Not Want Us Here) The Elusive Promise of a Human-Centric Lagos
Lagos, a city of promise, wrestles with urban disparities as its landscape undergoes rapid transformation. The spectre of forced evictions now imperils the core of a human-centric Lagos, compelling a call to action from resilient urban social movements. Read More...
Does Yoruba Literature Need Saving? Language in Danger, Literature in Death Throes
With the success of movies like Femi Adebayo’s 2023 Netflix epic, Jagun Jagun, it is clear that we’re witnessing a Yoruba language renaissance in film, especially through works that are created to acknowledge the intellect of their audiences. Seeing this, the question arises: Can Yoruba literature enjoy the same fate? Read More...
7 Books to Read to Understand Palestine’s Struggle for Freedom
The books in this week’s list examine and highlight the history of tensions between Israel and Palestine, Israel’s blockade of Gaza, the Nakba of 1948, Israeli settler-colonialism, and Palestinian resistance. Read More...
‘I Felt Compelled to Share What the Japa Experience Can Look Like’ Michael Afenfia’s First Draft
Nigerian novelist and author of Leave My Bones In Saskatoon, Michael Afenfia, says his latest novel on immigration was inspired by his experience and that of a few family members and friends: ‘I felt compelled to share what the japa experience can look like, particularly because not many people are comfortable talking about what the reality is versus what it is made out to be.’ Read More...
7 Books That Will Help You Rediscover Your Love for Reading
Whether you’re a bookworm or someone looking to reignite their love for reading, these books will reignite your passion for literature. Read More...
7 Books Originally Written in 7 African Languages
From Yoruba to Kikuyu, Wolof to Lingala, these 7 African books serves as a testament to the power of storytelling across borders and languages. Read More...
‘I Wanted to See if I Could Pull Off Writing an Interdisciplinary Book’ Fareda Banda’s First Draft
Zimbabwean academic and author of African Migration, Human Rights and Literature, Fareda Banda, wanted her book to explore the refugee/migration issue from the perspective of one whose people were being dehumanized: ‘I was also curious about whether literature could reach places or invoke emotions such as empathy, that law and policy did not seem to be doing.’ Read More...
‘My Favourite Books Are Those That Tackle Powerful Subjects With Elegant Prose’ Ijedike Jeboma’s First Draft
Nigerian writer and author of ‘Identity Formation in Buchi Emecheta’s Kehinde’ Ijedike Jeboma, decided to read all of Emecheta’s works and noticed a shift in her 1994 novel, Kehinde: ‘Emecheta’s legacy is often discussed in terms of the womanism-feminism divide, and I thought Kehinde marked a shift in her oeuvre that I hadn’t seen much commentary about, so I wrote it myself.’ Read More...
