Essays Archives - Page 2 of 19

·June 1, 2025·7 min read

Chimamanda’s male characters: A parade of villains and “thieves of time” – Chinonso Nzeakor

My primary reservation with this binary polarization of gender into victim and villain, this apportionment of blame in Adichie’s literary works is that it almost denies men their humanity. It foists on men this ideological coat of perpetrator of female suffering, and within this paradigm, it becomes strange, almost impossible, to even conceive of men as victims of female cruelty.

Essays

·May 29, 2025·4 min read

Africa’s brave new ancestor called Ngugi — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Africa has just welcomed the path-finding Ngugi wa Thiong’o into the pantheon...

Essays

·May 18, 2025·10 min read

Toyin Akinosho @ 65: Tribute to a polymath – Toni Kan

Lagos is a city of parvenus, nouveaux riches and arrivistes. It has been so since Oba Oroghua of Benin foisted Ashipa as Oba of Lagos over the Aworis in the...

Migration and the Writer

·March 30, 2025·10 min read

Time is Different in Toronto – Chidera Udochukwu-Nduka

I remembered Nigeria in snatches; roofs of houses overlapping each other, lying like broken china in the sun in cities that suffer from insomnia. Storey buildings where churches and plazas are attached like appendages with speakers raised to alarming decibels vying for the right to make you deaf. Noise was a way of life.

Essays

·February 25, 2025·4 min read

Remembering Kole Omotoso — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Kole Omotoso was my teacher at the then University of Ife, now...

Essays

·February 16, 2025·3 min read

Children of Blood and Bone: The Commodification of Nollywood through the Western Gaze – Yinka Adetu

While this is not a case of Them vs Us, the concern about how the story will represent Nigeria—not just in its grand mythology but in its smaller, more intimate details—is crucial. There is a reason to believe that the portrayal of Nigerian culture in Children of Blood and Bone will be filtered more through external research than through intuitive, lived-in sensibilities.

Essays

·December 27, 2024·2 min read

FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe lights up Lagos with Davido concert — Farouk Mohammed

Once again, FirstBank has reaffirmed its position as a champion of arts,...

Essays

·December 22, 2024·6 min read

The Lagos Review: Best of 2024

We launched new series like the Sneak Peak and Migration and the Writer series, we discovered new writers like Precious Nzeakor (who won the Ken Saro Wiwa book review prize at LABAF 2024) and Joseph Jonathan and we ticked pretty much all the boxes we laid out in January.

Essays

·December 20, 2024·6 min read

Reimagining Africa’s Past: The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) as a beacon of cultural renewal — Terh Agbedeh

Benin City, the historic heart of Nigeria and a symbol of African artistry, has long been a cornerstone of cultural heritage, a beacon of African artistic and cultural brilliance. Its...

Essays

·December 15, 2024·4 min read

Making a Case for Genre Diversity As The Future of Nollywood – Joseph Jonathan

However, the journey toward a more diverse Nollywood is not without challenges. For one, producing niche films, whether supernatural thrillers, sci-fi, or horror, often requires significant technical know-how and financial investment. For instance, a sci-fi film might demand complex visual effects or CGI animation

Literary Essays

·November 24, 2024·3 min read

A Writer’s Guide on Migration, sort of… – Tarinabo Diete

People migrate in different ways too; there are the ones that move with credentials in hand and hope in the pocket – these ones are looking for the fabled greener pastures. Before they set out, they would have probably called a friend to beg for a spot on their couch for a few weeks

Migration and the Writer

·November 10, 2024·9 min read

Uprooted and setting down new roots in France – Oyindamola Depo-Oyedokun.

While my journalism career has taken a bit of a backseat, I would say my general writing career is still in a good place. I've been writing a lot in transit, on the bus, on the tram. Because I don’t have as much time to do so when I’m settled at home, between schoolwork and adulting tasks like having to prep my meals. But it’s okay because public transport here is conducive for that. I am not hindered by uncomfortable heat or guarded about being on my phone on an unsafe street.

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

Essays

Chimamanda’s male characters: A parade of villains and “thieves of time” – Chinonso Nzeakor

Africa’s brave new ancestor called Ngugi — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Toyin Akinosho @ 65: Tribute to a polymath – Toni Kan

Time is Different in Toronto – Chidera Udochukwu-Nduka

Remembering Kole Omotoso — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Children of Blood and Bone: The Commodification of Nollywood through the Western Gaze – Yinka Adetu

FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe lights up Lagos with Davido concert — Farouk Mohammed

The Lagos Review: Best of 2024

Reimagining Africa’s Past: The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) as a beacon of cultural renewal — Terh Agbedeh

Making a Case for Genre Diversity As The Future of Nollywood – Joseph Jonathan

A Writer’s Guide on Migration, sort of… – Tarinabo Diete

Uprooted and setting down new roots in France – Oyindamola Depo-Oyedokun.

Hip-hop storyteller Slick Rick returns for Mobo honour

Celine Dion plots spectacular Paris concert residency

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