The Culture Custodian (Est. 2014.)

BBLs Are No Longer Hushed and That’s a Problem

Freedom of choice is the ability to make decisions without being forced or unduly pressured by others.

2 weeks ago

Open for Trade, Closed at the Border: Nigeria’s Visa Contradiction

Earlier this month, CNN’s international correspondent Larry Madowo posted a video from Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where he had just paid a $80 non-refundable visa fee to enter Nigeria from Nairobi. In the clip, he questioned why Nigeria continues to charge visitors from African countries that, in some cases, have removed similar barriers for […]

Naomi Ezenwa

3 weeks ago

Kate Henshaw: More Than a Nollywood Icon

Kate Henshaw’s career is a template for utilising celebrity status for social impact, while still maintaining a strong presence and evolving on screen.

John Eriomala

1 month ago

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: The State of Military Rule in Africa Thus Far

The Alliance of Sahel States was able to formalize its break from ECOWAS, leaning heavily on the argument that the regional bloc does nothing more than serve Western interests. These military governments have been able to deflect diplomatic isolation through partnerships with Russia, China, and Turkey, creating an alternative network of political cover and military support.

Naomi Ezenwa

2 months ago

Who is Nollywood Making Films For?

Conversely, in mainstream Nollywood, there exist two categories of filmmakers : the ones that make films for intellectuals and for the unthinking masses. There’s a pretension among members of both groups that they are different.

Seyi Lasisi

2 months ago

It’s a bit … concerning

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How To Lose A Match in 99 Goals

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Episode 245: “Your Toes are a Mess, You need to see a Pediatrician”

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Grok, Is This Real?

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Episode 244 :”S.T.I – Seyi Tinubu’s Internet”

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Symbol of Hope

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Episode 243: “Protect Your Towel” ft Jake Tapper

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Unlock Your Brain

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Something to Give

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Tony Tetuila’s Life is a Journey of Resilience and Grace

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New Music Friday: 10 Songs to Spice Up Your Weekend Playlists

New Music Friday is incomplete without Culture Custodian’s expertly curated recommendations. Afropop, hip-hop, R&B, folk: you name it, we’ve got it!

John Eriomala

2 hours ago

Two Nigerian Bartenders Named Among Global Black Barrel Series Winners

Two Nigerians, Kazeem Adefuye and Akilla Michael Adebisi have emerged winners of the global Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series. The global Jameson Black Bartender Series is a contest organised by the Jameson Black Barrel in which participants are tasked with developing distinctive cocktails built around Jameson Black Barrel, drawing on ingredients from their immediate environment, […]

Favour Bamijoko

4 hours ago

FCT’s Water Crisis Persists Despite Minister’s Assurances

Abuja’s water shortage has been building for months, with different reasons given as to why, at each stage. In January, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) cut power to the FCT Water Board over unpaid bills, shutting down operations at the Lower Usuma Dam. The Board’s monthly electricity bill reportedly exceeds N200 million, and the debt had accumulated for several months. AEDC restored power on January 18 after public outcry, but only on condition that the Board presented a repayment plan within two weeks.

Zainab Nasreen Muhammad

5 hours ago

Vincho Nchogu’s One Woman, One Bra, The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly’s Crocodile, and Other African Titles Head to the Tribeca Film Festival 2026

The Tribeca Film Festival has announced its official selection for its 2026 edition scheduled from 3rd to 14th June, 2026. The final selection which includes 118 feature films has few African titles selected. The titles include Vincho Nchogu’s One Woman, One Bra, Dione Roach and Steve Happi’s Jail Time Records, The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly’s […]

Seyi Lasisi

5 hours ago

Nairobi-Based Filmmaker, Lydia Matata, Selected for 2026 Sundance Institute Cultural Impact Residency

Nairobi based filmmaker, Lydia Matata, has been selected as a 2026 Sundance Institute Cultural Impact Residency Fellows. Matata is one of the seven storytellers selected for the second year of the Sundance Collab residency. Matata is currently developing her debut feature film, Pepo Kali (Strong Wind) which follows a grieving mother who learns to ride […]

Seyi Lasisi

5 hours ago

Demilade Akingbe Needs A TikTok Support Group

Over the last couple of years, Demilade Akingbe has created content around food and culture, which captures the soul of Lagos. This has helped her make the transition into a full-time content creator whose impact has steadily compounded. This forms the backdrop of her feature on Obasanjo’s Internet. Who are you? What do you do? […]

Oluwamayowa Idowu

1 week ago

Tabi Thinks Twitter is The Best Worst Social Media Platform

Tabi is a pop culture critic, humorist, and writer for her Substack newsletter Party’s Over, where she crafts prose, essays, and short stories probing the cognitive dissonance between natural instinct and social conditioning. In this version of Obasanjo’s Internet, she reflects on her day to day Internet habits and the evolution of her relationship with […]

Oluwamayowa Idowu

2 weeks ago

Tosin Adentan is Navigating Her Fear of Virality

Oluwatosin Adentan is a product designer, content creator, and self-proclaimed “noisemaker” who thrives on being boldly present online. Her unfiltered routines—waking to Snapchat/Twitter/Instagram checks, bedtime YouTube scrolling as a coping essential, and quick blocks/mutes for boundary-keeping—capture the internet as a chaotic pleasure hub for community-building (like 2023’s career-shifting discoveries) over disciplined work, with Instagram’s “controlled […]

Oluwamayowa Idowu

1 month ago

Kate Henshaw: More Than a Nollywood Icon

Kate Henshaw’s career is a template for utilising celebrity status for social impact, while still maintaining a strong presence and evolving on screen.

John Eriomala

1 month ago

Meet the Cinematic Vanguards Shaping Nigerian Film

With this campaign, we spotlight some of these women across the many dimensions of the industry and use them as a lens for the wider progress that has been accomplished through the resilience and persistence of women in film.

Damilola Oyeleke

1 month ago

Who is Nollywood Making Films For?

Seyi Lasisi

2 months ago

Vincho Nchogu’s One Woman, One Bra, The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly’s Crocodile, and Other African Titles Head to the Tribeca Film Festival 2026

Seyi Lasisi

5 hours ago

Nairobi-Based Filmmaker, Lydia Matata, Selected for 2026 Sundance Institute Cultural Impact Residency

Seyi Lasisi

5 hours ago

Has Nollywood Outgrown the Open Casting Call?

On March 6, 2026, Nigerian filmmaker and one of the dominating presences in Nollywood YouTube productions, Ruth Kadiri, held a physical open audition in Lagos. This open audition attracted, as anticipated, a slew of eager Nigerians passionate to enter the film industry. In one of the multiple videos captured from the open audition, what was […]

Seyi Lasisi

1 day ago

“Behind The Scenes” is Funke Akindele at Her Finest & That’s the Problem

If one were to be critical of the movie, it becomes a rather tough watch.

Favour Bamijoko

2 days ago

How 2016 Reshaped The Sound and Ambitions of Afrobeats

Days into 2026, quips about 2026 being the new 2016 began to circulate on social media. In a sense, this gestured at Gen Z’s relentless penchant for nostalgia, a phenomenon that’s as palpable in the music of the day as it is in fashion. It also doubles as a pun, or a meme, if you […]

Chibuzo Emmanuel

2 months ago

New Music Friday: 10 Songs to Spice Up Your Weekend Playlists

New Music Friday is incomplete without Culture Custodian’s expertly curated recommendations. Afropop, hip-hop, R&B, folk: you name it, we’ve got it!

John Eriomala

2 hours ago

Liner Notes on Homecoming ‘26: Is The Nigerian Underground Ready?

Review the footage. From Luwa. mp4 to Champz and others on the Homecoming bill, the silhouette of the UG package was not at all enticing.

John Eriomala

1 day ago

In-House Review: Omah Lay’s “Clarity of Mind”

Four years after breaking into Nigeria’s mainstream with a sound he famously dubbed “Afro-depression,” Omah Lay returns with Clarity of Mind, a sophomore album shaped as much by expectation as it is by experience. His 2022 debut, Boy Alone, introduced listeners to a brooding, emotionally raw take on Afrobeats, one that resonated deeply with listeners […]

Alex Omenye

2 days ago

Nigerian Music’s Disturbing Cult Ties

When Fela Anikulapo-Kuti said “Music is a weapon of the future,” he must not have known that his countrymen would take the message too literally.

John Eriomala

5 days ago

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: The State of Military Rule in Africa Thus Far

Naomi Ezenwa

2 months ago

Two Nigerian Bartenders Named Among Global Black Barrel Series Winners

Favour Bamijoko

4 hours ago

FCT’s Water Crisis Persists Despite Minister’s Assurances

Zainab Nasreen Muhammad

5 hours ago

Nigerian Airlines Threaten Shutdown Over Jet Fuel Crisis

Nigeria’s aviation industry is on the verge of a total shutdown, with domestic airline operators warning that all flight operations could cease nationwide from Monday, April 20, 2026 if the spiralling cost of Jet A1 fuel is not urgently addressed. This has raised fresh concerns about both the sustainability of the industry and the wider […]

Anjola Akinmade

10 hours ago

How Do We Hold Famous People Accountable In Nigeria?

Nigeria’s social media scene is the fastest growing on the continent. Nigerians, like their global counterparts, have built digital empires, made money online, shared their artistic endeavours and reached wide audiences on several platforms. They start conversations, set trends, build communities, teach, market, collaborate, tell stories, highlight culture, support people, entertain, try out new ideas, […]

Mariam Ahmed

1 day ago

Demilade Akingbe Needs A TikTok Support Group

Oluwamayowa Idowu

1 week ago

Tabi Thinks Twitter is The Best Worst Social Media Platform

Oluwamayowa Idowu

2 weeks ago

Tosin Adentan is Navigating Her Fear of Virality

Oluwamayowa Idowu

1 month ago

How Dami Ajayi Blends Being A Music Nerd With A Reality TV Guilty Pleasure

Substack is like heyday Twitter when there was a true sense of community.

Oluwamayowa Idowu

1 month ago

Anita Eboigbe is Using The Internet To Find Gist

Anita Eboigbe, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Big Cabal Media (home to TechCabal, Zikoko, and Citizen), has lived a rich life across the Nigerian media space. From pioneering box office data at News Agency of Nigeria, helping to build the conflict-reporting powerhouse HumAngle, and now scaling operations at Africa’s top digital media firms. Her unique […]

Oluwamayowa Idowu

2 months ago

The Great -ification: Why Everyone Is on Substack Now

Let’s call it “The Great -ification”

Naomi Ezenwa

1 week ago

7 Predictions For Nigerian Film in 2025

As we look back on the previous year’s releases, debuts, and industry-defining moments in Nigerian Film, it’s time we look forward and embrace what this year might hold for Nigerian Film. Here’s what and who to keep an eye on as the year continues to take shape. I do not come to you by chance […]

Culture Custodian Editorial Team

1 year ago

The Great -ification: Why Everyone Is on Substack Now

Let’s call it “The Great -ification”

Naomi Ezenwa

1 week ago

Tabi Thinks Twitter is The Best Worst Social Media Platform

Oluwamayowa Idowu

2 weeks ago

Online Gender Based Violence: The New Frontier of Nigerian Misogyny

Gender based violence is often only thought of in physical terms: domestic abuse, financial abuse, and sexual abuse, because these forms are tangible, generally easier to track, and often receive more public awareness. However with the rise of social media and online spaces, gender based violence has taken on a more evasive form, harder to […]

Naomi Ezenwa

2 weeks ago

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