Explainers, analyses, and essays on government policies, and political trends and movements around the continent
My Father’s Shadow is a personal, semi-autobiographical exploration of the Davies brothers. It’s charged as an attempt to make sense of the absence that shaped their formative years.
3 weeks ago
Despite his embattled situation, writing Wizkid off is a bit premature, he still has a huge fanbase and the talent to command rave reviews from critics.
4 weeks ago
To open 5ive, the poet Alhanislam recites a spoken-word commentary on the album and the man behind it. It feels a little pretentious, rooted in the same idea that drives artists to label every new project their deepest and most personal work yet. Yet some of it does have grounding in real-life events. Alhanislam hails […]
1 month ago
If you’ve been even remotely active online, the words Achalugo and Odogwu have likely crossed your path, either directly or embedded in brands like Piggyvest’s marketing materials. Perhaps you’ve also encountered the lavish praise hailing Love in Every Word as one of 2025’s cinematic masterpieces, or declarations that Omoni Oboli has revolutionized NollyTube. If we […]
1 month ago
By Lucas Ledwaba It’s early December, yet the farms’ landscape in Onverwacht, near Polokwane in Limpopo, northeast South Africa, is a dull brown and dry. Red dust rises into the sky as a hot wind sweeps in the late morning. Usually, the land looks green at this time of the year, but the rains […]
11 months ago
Rema has long been a master at subversion; his work delights in a fusion of, sometimes disparate, sounds. He pulls from a sweep of existing influences, subjects them to his unique spin and conjures music that feels beamed in from an alternate universe. On his eponymous debut EP, he riffs on traditional Afropop, flirting with […]
11 months ago
In 2016, TikTok made its debut, but it was until 2020 that the app truly earned its place in Silicon Valley. Cut off from the outside world, we were forced to soothe our boredom another way. Our phones became our opioids and TikTok benefitted the most. The pandemic was truly the platform’s propeller. But it […]
11 months ago
Nollywood, one of the cultural exports of Nigeria, perennially mirrors the country’s social, economic, religious and political realities. Amongst these representations is the portrayal and regurgitation of age-old beliefs, such as patriarchy and the practice of magic and witchcraft. These are particularly conspicuous in early Nollywood adventure, crime thriller and money ritual films, such as […]
11 months ago
God’s Children are Little Broken Things, published in 2022, is Arinze Ifeakandu’s debut collection of short stories. It follows the lives of queer Nigerians and explores how culture, sexuality and identity intersect present day Nigeria. The stories in this collection feel very intimate, almost like the reader is peeking into the writer’s journal and getting […]
11 months ago
Lost And Found, Simi’s sixth studio album, sees the songstress showcase a set of qualities that are all too familiar to all who have listened to her since 2014 when she first announced herself in Nigerian Pop. Those qualities include a captivating voice, a talent for crafting memorable melodies, and an ability to infuse emotional […]
11 months ago
Veteran African writers have earned several reputations for their writing but one characteristic that seems universally accepted by all is their niche of relatability. They weave stories that the everyday Africans can connect, relate and bond with and therefore become blankets of familiarity to snuggle into when away from home. It is in this esteemed […]
11 months ago
Coming out can be a nerve-wracking and emotional experience, especially in a country like Nigeria where it’s against the law to just exist as a queer person. Instead of risking fourteen long years in prison, many queer people tell themselves that they will come out of the closet when they’re older and no longer under […]
11 months ago
