History

Mosque

The Great Mosque of Djenné And the Social Utility of History

Africans are no strangers to conservationists, preservationists and all manner of experts who call into question Africa’s internal capabilities to safeguard sites and objects of historical value. The Great Mosque of Djenné, its mud-brick walls annually restored by the community, poses a challenge to a Western approach to history which sees preservation as an end in itself, rather than a means to social cohesion.
Brimah

The Yorubas of Ghana

The historic migration of the Yoruba people from Ile-Ife has shaped Ghana’s Yoruba community through trade, faith and family ties. At the heart of this connection is Chief Brimah, an Ilorin merchant, whose leadership and entrepreneurial spirit forged enduring bonds with the Ga people and deeply influenced Accra’s Zongo communities.
Ogoni

S2 EP7: ‘We All Stand Before History’

How have the Ogoni people been able to come to terms with the execution of the Ogoni Nine, and deal with the unresolved environmental crisis caused by oil exploration till this day? What does the crisis in Ogoni and the Niger Delta more broadly tell us about what it means to be Nigerian? The seventh episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Saro-Wiwa

S2 EP6: The Execution

Many Nigerians and international observers pushed for the Abacha regime to recall its sentence but on November 10 1995, they woke up to devastating news. From their homes, Nigerians wondered: despite the worldwide appeals, why did Abacha stick to his decision to sentence Saro-Wiwa and the other eight Ogonis to death? What message was Abacha trying to send to the world? Let’s find out together. The sixth episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ogoni

S2 EP5: The Ogoni 8

Following the murders of the Ogoni chiefs, Rivers State military administrator, Lieutenant Colonel Dauda Musa Komo, and the Abacha regime finally had their way in to disrupt MOSOP. On May 22 1994, Komo held a press conference, where he accused MOSOP of the murders. But how did the government decide who to arrest? The fifth episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Saro-Wiwa

S2 EP4: The Kangaroo Court

On 19 January 1994, General Abacha sent a federal ministerial committee to Ogoniland to meet with Ken Saro-Wiwa in Bori. Lieutenant Colonel Komo, who acted as the official guide of the Committee, saw the tour as an opportunity to impress Abacha. With such differing goals between Saro-Wiwa and Lieutenant Komo, what kind of collision was about to happen? Let’s find out together. The fourth episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Saro-Wiwa

S2 EP3: The Ogoni Crisis

How did the Ogonis’ peaceful protest turn into a nightmare that many in Ogoniland today are still shuddering from? How did the Ogonis’ hopes become weaponized against them? Let’s find out together. The third episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.