In December 2025, London will host a voice that has long carried across Africa’s literary landscape. Dr.l Wale Okediran – novelist, physician, politician, literary mentor, cultural advocate – arrives with Madagali, a novel that confronts insurgency and love in equal measure, and in doing so, reminds us of literature’s enduring role as witness.
Okediran is no stranger to the weight of history. A former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, and current Secretary-General of the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), his career has been defined by a commitment to storytelling that bridges medicine, politics, and empathy.
His earlier novel Tenants of the House was adapted into a feature film, but with Madagali, he turns his gaze to Nigeria’s Northeast, where the Boko Haram insurgency has left scars both visible and unseen.
The novel follows Bukar Salisu, a 24-year-old soldier who enlists to defend his motherland. It is, in the words of Prof. Abubakar Othman, “a manual for the study of military intelligence and guerilla warfare.” Yet Madagali is more than a chronicle of battle; it is a meditation on resilience, displacement, and the human spirit. As the press kit notes, it is “a powerful exploration of resilience, displacement, and the human spirit in the face of conflict.”
Literature as Witness
African literature has long carried the burden of testimony, from the civil war narratives of the late 20th century to contemporary accounts of insurgency and migration. Two books that come to mind in the context of Madagali are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun or Helon Habila’s The Chibok Girls. But Madagali stands out as a fictional examination of an ongoing conflict and insurgency.
Okediran’s work situates itself within this lineage, but with a distinctive blend of medical insight and political awareness. His dual identity as physician, politician and novelist allows him to diagnose not only the wounds of the body but also those of the nation.
A Tour Beyond Borders
The UK tour will bring Madagali to audiences far from its Nigerian setting, yet its themes resonate universally especially at a time when President Trump has designated Nigeria a”Country of Particular Concern”.
Public readings at venues such as The African Centre in London will invite dialogue on how literature can both document and transcend conflict. For Okediran, the act of reading aloud is itself a form of healing: an extension of his lifelong practice of care.
A Voice for Pan-African Literature
Okediran’s presence in London is not simply a book launch; it is a continuation of his role as a cultural ambassador. His leadership within PAWA underscores his belief that African literature must speak in chorus, across languages and borders. In Madagali, that chorus is embodied in the figure of Bukar Salisu, whose personal struggle mirrors a collective one.
The Human Spirit in Literature
At its core, Madagali insists that even in the shadow of insurgency, love and humanity endure. Okediran’s narrative reminds us that literature is not only about recounting events but about preserving dignity. His words echo across the page and into the halls where he will read: resilience is not abstract but lived; displacement is not statistic, but story.
As London prepares to welcome him, Dr Wale Okediran brings with him a novel that is both timely and timeless – a work that situates African literature at the intersection of conflict and compassion, and that affirms the power of narrative to heal, to resist, and to remember.
