Culture & Society
Every Other Day, Disorganized In the Chaos of Nigerian Concerts, We Only See Ourselves
To understand how Nigerians imagine and practise accountability, look at our music concerts. Read More...
Life Imitates Ball Geopolitics, Qatar and the FIFA World Cup
International football games like the FIFA World Cup can no longer be separated from international politics. Increasingly, viewers will have to watch as gaffes from a trained footballer or even goal celebrations are interpreted through different political lenses. Read More...
A New Chapter for African Artefacts? Editor’s Foreword: The Republic V6, N3
African artefacts are increasingly being returned to African governments and, with this, the debate on the repatriation of African artefacts from the West is evolving. Our latest issue, A New Chapter for African Artefacts?, looks at the African ideas, politics and stakeholders shaping this debate. Read More...
‘There Cannot Be a Single Answer’ Chika Okeke-Agulu on the Rightful Location of African Artefacts
Though they are crucial to the movement, advocating for the restitution of stolen African artefacts cannot be left to sympathetic actors of the West, Chika Okeke-Agulu argues. He says, ‘It is no surprise that most of the important scholarly publication on royal Benin art have been by researchers overseas who have better access to museums and collections that benefitted, directly or indirectly, from colonial-era looting.’ Read More...
‘Creativity on the Continent Has Always Been a Continuum’ Victor Ehikhamenor on the Resilience of Benin Artistry
African artefacts looted, stolen, and forcefully taken belong to the African communities they were taken from in the Africa continent, Victor Ehikhamenor argues. He says, ‘In discussing restitution, we must also let the world know that creativity on the continent has always been a continuum, there was no break.’ Read More...
The Bittersweet Aftertaste of Victory When University Campaigns to Repatriate Stolen Art Take a Toll
Six years after a group of Cambridge students first demanded that the Benin Bronze cockerel, ‘Okukor’, be returned to the Benin Kingdom, the university returned the cockerel. For some of those activists, including this author, the return means victory but also worry. Read More...
‘I Write to Gain a Better Understanding of Who I Am’ Zainab Kuku’s First Draft
Nigerian writer, Zainab Kuku, believes any Afrobeats musician that is currently highly-rated is deservedly so. Read More...
An Illuminating Vision of Black Wealth Review: ‘Riches’ (2022)
The 2022 series, Riches, casts a new light on the varied, complicated and even expected roles that typically surround the kind of generational wealth that many in the Black and African community often aspire to. Read More...
Expensive Money Is Money-Spraying the Problem?
Money-spraying is not the problem and should be seen not as the lack of national pride but as a display of cultural pride: a cherished tradition that shows deep respect and appreciation for the power of music and dance. Read More...
‘Writing Is a Grind; It Won’t Always Be Exciting or Magical’ Desola Olaleye's First Draft
Nigerian writer, Desola Olaleye, wants people to understand that fighting for the restitution of African cultural artefacts is not a misplaced priority. Read More...
