Latest

Book Review

·March 22, 2026·5 min read

When poetry screams at power and displacement – Olukorede S Yishau

Akinremi reminds us of the great poet Gabriel Okara, of ‘The Call of River Nun’ fame, with his poem ‘The Call of River Congo’. In this piece, his concern is plastic pollution and neglect. We see how bottles, cans and paper scraps have taken over the great body of water. It is a blow delivered on the authorities who neglected their responsibilities to this natural resource and watch with reckless abandon as it becomes a dumping ground.

Book Review

·March 15, 2026·2 min read

A Triumph of Resilience: A review of ‘In Our Own Ways’ by Yejide Kilanko — Akumbu Uche

The desire to have children is a complex mix of biological urges, emotional drivers and cultural attitudes. In Nigeria where...

Book Review

·March 1, 2026·3 min read

Hymar David’s Memoir Is A Brave Manifesto for Self-Discovery & True Grit – Sima Essien

The memoir progressively comes off as an album of eclectic cuts. If “Signs of Our Redemption” burns bright as the bold anthem chronicling the #EndSARS saga, “Don't Cry For Me, Argentina” is the wistful paean for diminished talents and dreams (“Nigeria happens to the best of us…”), while “And Always Remember Them” stands out as a poetic and elegiac tribute to the fiery season of 2020 (“It is the forgotten who are truly dead” p. 192). David's use of “We remember them” as a refrain in that chapter creates a hypnotic, incantatory rhythm that sustains emotional accumulation.

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 Uncategorized

·March 22, 2026·3 min read

A life scarred and marred by family trauma – Peju Akande

The title might hint at a story about a father’s wrongdoing, but the real sins in this book belong overwhelmingly to the mother. Still, through psychoanalysis, David uncovers yet another layer of abuse, this time from another close family member. Is Sins of the Father worth reading despite its dark, unsettling themes?

Book Review

·March 8, 2026·2 min read

A Celebration of African Hair: A Review of Hairstory by Sope Martins – Akumbu Uche

In a climate where social media constantly serves up a glut of unattainable beauty standards, a book like Hairstory offers a refreshing antidote to such messaging and should be valued. This quality has earned it favourable comparisons to Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

Book Review

·February 22, 2026·3 min read

Psychobabble Inc.: A review of Chude Jideonwo’s “How Depression Saved My Life” — Akumbu Uche

Jideonwo leans into this rule, but then, as if looking to validate his struggles, he constantly makes reference to the experiences of various celebrity guests who have graced his #WithChude talk show. In social interactions, he would be called a name-dropper. In print, these insertions come off as cross-promotion and shortchange the book’s efficacy as a memoir.

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.

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

When poetry screams at power and displacement – Olukorede S Yishau

A life scarred and marred by family trauma – Peju Akande

A Triumph of Resilience: A review of ‘In Our Own Ways’ by Yejide Kilanko — Akumbu Uche

The Archetype of Motherhood as Martyrdom: Appraising Nollywood’s Representation of Motherhood – Joseph Jonathan

“UDO”: The short film that asks, what is your love language? — Precious Nzeakor

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

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

Pius Adesanmi (1972–2019): Seven years on…An in memoriam and a meditation on an unfinished life – Sola Adeyemi

Pius Adesanmi – 6 years on, we remember!

Biodun Jeyifo… A Man of Letters departs — Sola Adeyemi

Our Best Essays and Reviews of 2025

To write about love is to write about vulnerability and sacrifice – Rosemary Okafor

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

Met exhibition explores Raphael’s legacy beyond the legend of his early death

Tunde Owolabi’s “Without Rest” solo exhibition set to open in Lagos

Bill Cosby ordered to pay $59.25m in 1972 rape case

Book Review

When poetry screams at power and displacement – Olukorede S Yishau

A Triumph of Resilience: A review of ‘In Our Own Ways’ by Yejide Kilanko — Akumbu Uche

Hymar David’s Memoir Is A Brave Manifesto for Self-Discovery & True Grit – Sima Essien

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

A life scarred and marred by family trauma – Peju Akande

A Celebration of African Hair: A Review of Hairstory by Sope Martins – Akumbu Uche

Psychobabble Inc.: A review of Chude Jideonwo’s “How Depression Saved My Life” — Akumbu Uche

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

Hip-hop storyteller Slick Rick returns for Mobo honour

Celine Dion plots spectacular Paris concert residency

Don't Miss Out!