Culture & Society
7 African Novels You Didn’t Know Were Older Than Things Fall Apart
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of seven African novels you didn’t know were older than Things Fall Apart. From novels exploring race and colonialism set in pre-apartheid South Africa to fantastical tales that dive into the world of Yoruba mythology, these books prove that the African novel has long been alive, well before Achebe’s emergence. Read More...
Beasts of No Nation and the Fate of the West African Child
Cary Joji Fukunaga’s 2015 film, Beasts of No Nation, records an undeniable success in showcasing the gruesome plight of the West African child soldier. But the fight against juvenile bestialization—which continues to be relevant today—must be more intentional. Read More...
Six African Writers on Their Fondest Childhood Memories
In our latest First Draft interview, we asked six writers about their fondest childhood memories. Here’s what they told us. Read More...
7 Books You Need to Read Before Travelling Across West Africa
We have compiled a list of seven books you need to read before travelling across West Africa. From the evocative memoir of a former child soldier to a thrilling poetry collection that explore queer identities in Nigeria, the region’s most populous country, these books are your essential introduction to the political and social landscape of West Africa. Read More...
Lagos Avenue
‘I had heard that police had raided Lagos Avenue. If that good Samaritan hadn’t come my way, I probably might have been paraded in front of the cameras and made it to the front pages of the tabloids that screamed: POLICE ARREST 54 ASHAWO GIRLS AT LAGOS AVENUE.’ Read More...
Conversation in Transit
‘When I boarded the Uber, my driver immediately identified me as African—specifically Nigerian. “You know, we know ourselves. We can tell when we see each other that we are from the same Africa,” he said.’ Read More...
The Artist Who Terrified the Nigerian State
In 2015, when a steel bus Sokari Douglas Camp built to honour Ken Saro-Wiwa arrived in Nigeria, she didn’t expect the Nigerian state to arrest it. Ten years on with the bus still detained, the fearless sculptor reveals how one artwork shook the government and why memory, once forged in metal, can never be silenced. Read More...
‘Translation Is Where All Languages Meet’ Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ’s First Draft
Kenyan writer and author of Unbury Our Dead with Song, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, does not believe in the idea of a ‘great African novel’: ‘I do not think there is such a thing as the “great African novel”—or the “great Russian” or “European” novel—nor do I believe in the idea of major and minor literatures. We simply do not know enough and have not read widely enough to make such judgements. The idea of major and minor literatures is manufactured for us.’ Read More...
‘My Forthcoming Novel Haunted Me for About Eight Years’ A. Igoni Barrett’s First Draft
Nigerian writer, A. Igoni Barrett, is working on a new novel that picks up Furo Wariboko’s story four years after the events in his critically acclaimed debut, Blackass: ‘My forthcoming novel, Whyteface, haunted me for about eight years, though without my conscious awareness. It was only when I sat down to face the writing that I realized I’d been collecting, throughout those anxious years, all the bits and pieces I needed to exorcise myself.’ Read More...
7 Books That Will Transport You to the Nigerian Spirit Realm
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of seven books that will transport you to the Nigerian spirit realm. From an inventive coming-of-age story which uses Igbo mythology to explain the realities of a fractured self to a debut novel-in-stories told, curated, and commented upon by a restless spirit, the books on this list will expose you to the inner workings of the Nigerian spirit world. Read More...
