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Book Review

·February 8, 2026·3 min read

A Master Storyteller: ‘BackHomeAbroad And Other Stories’ by Pede Hollist – Akumbu Uche

Some authors mine their lived experiences for inspiration and indeed, Hollist’s own life has been shaped by migration. Born in Freetown, he spent part of his childhood in London, pursued postgraduate education in Nova Scotia, and is currently resident in Florida, where he is a professor of English at the University of Tampa. He might be a citizen of the world

Book Review

·February 1, 2026·5 min read

A Chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic – Olukorede S Yishau

In telling this important story, Riding the Storm becomes more than a record of events. It is a meditation on leadership under pressure, on Africa’s capacity for self-organisation, and on what it means to act decisively when history accelerates. Kan’s prose allows the reader to feel the anxiety of the early days, the urgency of closed-door negotiations, and the quiet triumph of systems

Book Review

·January 11, 2026·3 min read

A testament and cautionary tale: Chiazor-Enenmor’s ‘See Morocco See Spain’ – Akumbu Uche

As the story unfolds, Chiazor-Enenmor dispenses with the multi-perspective approach, and Nosakhere emerges as the main protagonist of this tale. Unfortunately, even after overcoming multiple hardships and setbacks to reach his destination, a happily-ever-after ending remains elusive as his problems continue to compound. Presented with limited options and with very little time to philosophize over them, he blunders his way through decisions that take him further away from ever integrating into respectable European society, and deeper into its underclass.

Book Review

·January 4, 2026·3 min read

Obinna Udenweʼs “Years of Shame” Is An Ambitious Epic of Tragedy, History & Culture – Sima Essien

From the outset, the novel establishes the dreadful gravity of this decision. On page 39, an elder observes, “When the gods want to bring down a man's house, they set in motion a chain of events that lead to his downfall.” Yet as the narrative unfolds, Patrice emerges not merely as a victim of metaphysical forces, but of rigid standards of masculinity that leave him unable to retreat without feeling emasculated. To admit fault, in his mind, would be to embrace weakness.

Book Review

·December 28, 2025·8 min read

The Essential Biodun Shobanjo @ 81 and the will to keep winning – Toni Kan

As Biodun Shobanjo turns 81, we commemorate the milestone with a return to Toni Kan’s review of his biography. ...

Book Review

·December 14, 2025·3 min read

“The Distortion of Hadassah,” Ejiro Umukoro’s intriguing YA novel – Olukorede S Yishau

Umukoro blends an authentic voice with emotional honesty, inviting readers into a world that feels both relatable and transformative. The characters wrestle with identity, change, and belonging in ways that resonate deeply.

Book Review

·February 1, 2026·3 min read

The weight of a glittery crown – Akumbu Uche

More Than A Crown offers a blend of both. Born in Kigali in 1999, Nishimwe is a member of the ‘Generation After’ — young Rwandans fortunate to not have witnessed the 1994 Rwandan genocide, but nonetheless shaped by its trauma. Her early childhood was marked by separation from her father, whose job as a member of the Rwandan Defence Force entails, ironically, reuniting families separated by the nation’s civil war

Book Review

·January 25, 2026·5 min read

A Memoir that Nearly Tells it All: A review of Malala Yousafzai’s “Finding My Way” — Olukorede S Yishau

The money from such engagements was very important to her, her parents and her siblings especially with her as sole provider since their move to the UK. Her teacher father wasn’t licensed to teach in the UK, her mother couldn’t speak English and so couldn’t work. So, it was impossible for her to make a promise that would be tantamount to making a date with hunger and lack. Lara offered to work out a make-up arrangement with her professors.

Book Review

·January 11, 2026·4 min read

Skirting the thin line between fact and fiction in Arundhati Roy’s “Mother Mary Comes To Me” – Olukorede S Yishau

The political violence was pervasive as Marxists railed especially against Maoists. Roy recalled a particular incident where Maoists, who were far-left, radical insurgents and who had broken away from the Marxists whom they saw as bourgeois beheaded one of them and hung his head on a pike. These believers in armed revolution were also known as Naxalites. It was the poor versus the rich with the poor and their supporters believing that the rich deserved to be wiped out for them to inherit the earth.

Book Review

·December 28, 2025·4 min read

Literature, Society & the Penumbra of Failure: A review of “Moonbeam Anthology” — Kẹ̀hìndé Fọlọ́runshọ́

Every age has a depression of its time which is found in the artistic integrity of its writers. The artist...

Book Review

·December 21, 2025·2 min read

When poets duet: A review of “Symbols And Contemplations” by Iguwo Ukwu & Uzoma Nwakuche — Akumbu Uche ⁹

he “Great Woman of the Lake” reverenced in Silence Besieges You! conjures up Uhamiri, the Oguta Lake deity central to Flora Nwapa’s seminal novel Efuru. Incidentally, Nwakuche is Nwapa’s son, and poems like Transformation and My Mother Forever suggest an ongoing conversation with her memory and legacy.

Book Review

·November 23, 2025·4 min read

A review of “Cursed Daughters”, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s compelling sophomore novel – Olukorede S Yishau

In a novel that seems to suggest that some endings are nothing but mere beginnings, when Eniiyi emerges from Ebun’s birth canal, there is little doubt that she bears an uncanny resemblance to the recently deceased.

Shaitan: Telekinesis and Arodan Review – Michael Kolawole

On “Auracle”, Shallipopi is an Oracle with a cool aura – Michael Kolawole

Tems’ Love Is A Kingdom: A Gentle Reign of Love and Doubt – Michael Kolawole

A Master Storyteller: ‘BackHomeAbroad And Other Stories’ by Pede Hollist – Akumbu Uche

The weight of a glittery crown – Akumbu Uche

A Chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic – Olukorede S Yishau

Wizkid: Long Live Lagos: A Meditation on Legacy and Endurance – Michael Kolawole

Uchenna Ugwu’s “I Too, Crave Death” Tackles Depression and Suicide – Michael Kolawole

Daniel Etim Effiong’s debut “The Herd” stares down Nigeria’s chaos – Joseph Jonathan

Unpacking “Once Upon an Elephant”: A Stage Experience by Peaklane Drama Troupe – Peju Akande

“Dear Kaffy” is a riot of laughter and a river of tears – Peju Akande

LAMDA’s production of James Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner” interrogates Christian charity – Toni Kan

Our Best Essays and Reviews of 2025

Orchestra of Fishermen of the Country: The compelling oeuvre of Chigozie Obioma — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

The Lasting Legacy of Evelyn Osagie: A tribute to a cultural champion — Terh Agbedeh

The ghastly murder of musician Israel Njemanze in Lagos — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Elsie Is Bringing Music Conversations to Our Doorsteps From Lagos to Toronto to the World – Onyema Dike

Adrien Brody’s “Red Chip” revolution beyond the box office

I try to find that sweet spot between substance and form — Michael Afenfia

Michelangelo’s $23m foot sketch breaks auction record

Art, Memory & Resistance: apexart debuts “The Other Order” in Bariga

Yuko Mohri awarded $50k Calder Prize

Book Review

A Master Storyteller: ‘BackHomeAbroad And Other Stories’ by Pede Hollist – Akumbu Uche

A Chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic – Olukorede S Yishau

A testament and cautionary tale: Chiazor-Enenmor’s ‘See Morocco See Spain’ – Akumbu Uche

Obinna Udenweʼs “Years of Shame” Is An Ambitious Epic of Tragedy, History & Culture – Sima Essien

The Essential Biodun Shobanjo @ 81 and the will to keep winning – Toni Kan

“The Distortion of Hadassah,” Ejiro Umukoro’s intriguing YA novel – Olukorede S Yishau

The weight of a glittery crown – Akumbu Uche

A Memoir that Nearly Tells it All: A review of Malala Yousafzai’s “Finding My Way” — Olukorede S Yishau

Skirting the thin line between fact and fiction in Arundhati Roy’s “Mother Mary Comes To Me” – Olukorede S Yishau

Literature, Society & the Penumbra of Failure: A review of “Moonbeam Anthology” — Kẹ̀hìndé Fọlọ́runshọ́

When poets duet: A review of “Symbols And Contemplations” by Iguwo Ukwu & Uzoma Nwakuche — Akumbu Uche ⁹

A review of “Cursed Daughters”, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s compelling sophomore novel – Olukorede S Yishau

Michelangelo’s $23m foot sketch breaks auction record

3 Doors Down’s Brad Arnold dies aged 47

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