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Every December, thousands of Igbo travellers leave cities across Nigeria for the South East, a ritual shaped by war, migration and an enduring sense of home. Now, rising insecurity is forcing travellers to assess what returning truly means.
As daylight fades in Benin City, women step into the night to sustain families, communities and an informal economy that keeps the city alive. The women-led night markets of Benin transform into spaces of survival, solidarity and quiet resistance.
Last year, when Nigeria announced a posthumous pardon for Ken Saro-Wiwa and twelve other Ogonis, it was framed as a gesture of closure. Noo Saro-Wiwa does not see it that way. In this conversation, she explains why a pardon, without exoneration, cannot undo the violence of the past or resolve the political struggle her father left behind.
In 1977, the Nigerian government invested $625 million into the arts to host the Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos and Kaduna housed the historic occasion. While Lagos has grown its arts ecosystem, Kaduna is only now starting to find its feet.
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Why Igbos Still Take the Long Road Home
Every December, thousands of Igbo travellers leave cities across Nigeria for the South East, a ritual shaped by war, migration and an enduring sense of home. Now, rising insecurity is forcing travellers to assess what returning truly means.
The Night Women of Benin City
As daylight fades in Benin City, women step into the night to sustain families, communities and an informal economy that keeps the city alive. The women-led night markets of Benin transform into spaces of survival, solidarity and quiet resistance.
Why a Pardon Is Not Justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa
Last year, when Nigeria announced a posthumous pardon for Ken Saro-Wiwa and twelve other Ogonis, it was framed as a gesture of closure. Noo Saro-Wiwa does not see it that way. In this conversation, she explains why a pardon, without exoneration, cannot undo the violence of the past or resolve the political struggle her father left behind.
FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna
In 1977, the Nigerian government invested $625 million into the arts to host the Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos and Kaduna housed the historic occasion. While Lagos has grown its arts ecosystem, Kaduna is only now starting to find its feet.
Osaze Amadasun’s ‘Ladi Kwali’
Visual artist and graphic designer, Osaze Amadasun, reimagines Ladi Kwali, reclaiming the full legacy of a cultural icon beyond her portrait on the 20 naira note.
Southwest Nigeria Is Not ‘Yorubaland’
Equating southwestern Nigeria to Yorubaland is a colonial oversimplification that requires critical re-evaluation. While the Yoruba are a dominant force in the region, the area is also the cultural homeland of the Ogu people, a distinct ethno-linguistic group with their own rich history, language and traditions.
Why Igbos Still Take the Long Road Home
Every December, thousands of Igbo travellers leave cities across Nigeria for the South East, a ritual shaped by war, migration and an enduring sense of home. Now, rising insecurity is forcing travellers to assess what returning truly means.
The Night Women of Benin City
As daylight fades in Benin City, women step into the night to sustain families, communities and an informal economy that keeps the city alive. The women-led night markets of Benin transform into spaces of survival, solidarity and quiet resistance.
Why a Pardon Is Not Justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa
Last year, when Nigeria announced a posthumous pardon for Ken Saro-Wiwa and twelve other Ogonis, it was framed as a gesture of closure. Noo Saro-Wiwa does not see it that way. In this conversation, she explains why a pardon, without exoneration, cannot undo the violence of the past or resolve the political struggle her father left behind.
FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna
In 1977, the Nigerian government invested $625 million into the arts to host the Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos and Kaduna housed the historic occasion. While Lagos has grown its arts ecosystem, Kaduna is only now starting to find its feet.
Osaze Amadasun’s ‘Ladi Kwali’
Visual artist and graphic designer, Osaze Amadasun, reimagines Ladi Kwali, reclaiming the full legacy of a cultural icon beyond her portrait on the 20 naira note.
Southwest Nigeria Is Not ‘Yorubaland’
Equating southwestern Nigeria to Yorubaland is a colonial oversimplification that requires critical re-evaluation. While the Yoruba are a dominant force in the region, the area is also the cultural homeland of the Ogu people, a distinct ethno-linguistic group with their own rich history, language and traditions.
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‘Literature Is One of Our Most Powerful Archival Machines’
For the co-founder and publishing director, of Cassava Republic Press, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, it is telling that African literature is often pronounced dead in recent years, when more women and queer voices are becoming more prominent: ‘The loudest obituary writers about African literature tend to be men. These elegies seem to come from a tacit sense of personal or generational displacement rather than from the actual state of the field.’
