Explainers, analyses, and essays on government policies, and political trends and movements around the continent
Ola Aina’s Snapchat is a riot, on a normal day. During an international break, it’s a different thing entirely. Last week, the internet’s best-rated TV show opened with a scene at London’s Heathrow airport where Aina was joined by a range of teammates: Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, and Joe Aribo as […]
12 hours ago
When Ola Aina faced Simon Adingra in the 2024 AFCON final, many expected the Nigerian defender to keep the Ivorian winger in check. Instead, Adingra had one of his best performances, and even Aina’s own mother playfully called him out, sending a voice note asking, “Why did you let him go past you like that?” […]
1 week ago
Last weekend, the youngest of the Uzama brothers, Osahan Uzama, more known by his moniker, Famous Pluto, joined the ranks of his brothers—Shallipopi, and Zerry DL, both fierce advocates of Benin Street Pop—with the release of his feverishly anticipated single Na Scra. Before its official release, the song had been making the rounds on TikTok, […]
1 week ago
Throughout her illustrious career, Kadaria Ahmed has been rightly lauded for her contribution to advancing journalism in Nigeria’s fraught media landscape. But in light of her identity as a woman—having to bristle against the patriarchal strictures intrinsic to Nigeria’s media landscape—her work takes on deeper significance. Born in 1967, Ahmed led an ambitious academic career […]
2 weeks ago
The wooden chair wobbled as seven-year-old Jola Ayeye hunched over a page, pencil gripped tight, tongue peeking out in concentration. Around her, the floor was a patchwork of unfinished stories, half-colored sketches, and a notebook filled with lyrics to songs no one else knew. “What do you want to be when you grow up, Jola?” […]
2 weeks ago
Stories about the underworld, narratives that reveal the intricacies of organized crime, have often made it to the Nollywood corpus. The underworld in such stories is connected with powerful individuals and groups, some belonging to the political class, enabled by state authorities. We have examples of these stories in classics like Glamour Girls and more […]
14 hours ago
The promotional poster for Finding Me proudly proclaims it comes “from the producers of the 3 biggest Nollywood blockbusters.” The film is produced by FAAN (Funke Ayotunde Akindele Network) and directed by Funke Akindele, with Isioma Osaje as co-director. Undeniably, Akindele is one of Nollywood’s most accomplished filmmakers and the three films the poster likely […]
15 hours ago
With the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season fast approaching, Rivers Hoopers are gearing up for another shot at continental glory. After securing an impressive third-place finish last year, the KingsMen are determined to build on their success and push even further. But what does it take to stay competitive in a league where the […]
1 day ago
Thirteen minutes into the Ola Cardoso-directed action drama Suky, James Damilare’s character, the older Suky, shows up in a jalabiya, a Muslim devout, while observing an ablution. The next few scenes that come in quick succession reveal him lifting weights, which prepares us ahead for the experience of his heroism. Scenes after—the gruesome murder of […]
1 day ago
Before Love in Every Word even introduces Odogwu, played by Uzor Arukwe, his presence is foreshadowed, not as an individual but as an archetype. More than just a wealthy man, the Odogwu represents a cultural ideal: in Igbo tradition, the term signifies a man of great wealth, strength, and social influence. Historically, Odogwu connotes leadership […]
3 days ago
Nothing fittingly describes my journey to the screening of Five Resilient Women event than this phrase: “Man proposes but God disposes.” However, to perfectly capture my journey to the location, the phrase will lend itself to a rewrite: “Seyi proposes but Lagos disposes.” Lagosians reading this might have a keen understanding of this anecdote. For […]
5 days ago
The advent of social media and other forms of digital technology has made it easier to document dysfunctional relationships. In Nigeria, such relationships are closely associated with the family and romantic unions, and may include traces of physical and emotional abuse, parental neglect, child abuse, marital infidelity, sexual incompatibility and frustration, poor communication, violence and […]
6 days ago
Barely a few months into the year and it’s already looking like a great one for Nigerian music. Last year, in contrast, was decidedly languorous for Nigerian music, bordering on existentially depressing. Critics and fans alike obsessively worried about the tepid air that hung over the music scene and spun treatises and think pieces that […]
1 week ago
