OUR BEST WRITING OF 2023

Every year, The Republic publishes the most ambitious writing focused on Africa, from news and analysis to long-form features.
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vol. 8, no. 4

REIMAGINING NIGERIAN HERITAGE

Our latest issue, Reimagining Nigerian Heritage, focuses on the unknown and underdiscussed stories that reflect the richness of Nigeria’s heritage across its different cultures.

Purchase an annual print + digital subscription, and get unlimited access to The Republic. We ship worldwide.

Every year, The Republic publishes the most ambitious writing focused on Africa, from news and analysis to long-form features.
Support our award-winning coverage by subscribing today. 
Our print + digital subscription is 50% off. 

vol. 8, no. 4

REIMAGINING NIGERIAN HERITAGE

Our latest issue, Reimagining Nigerian Heritage, focuses on the unknown and underdiscussed stories that reflect the richness of Nigeria’s heritage across its different cultures.

Purchase an annual print + digital subscription, and get unlimited access to The Republic. We ship worldwide.

This Week’s Essentials

Our top analyses, debates, ideas and stories of the week.

South Africa

HEADLINE STORY / THE MINISTRY OF WORLD AFFAIRS

Coalition governance offers potential for enhancing democracy in theory; but the dominance of party-political funding and influence of elite and commercial interests from the minerals-energy-finance sectors risk exacerbating political and economic inequalities in South Africa.

South Africa

HEADLINE STORY / THE MINISTRY OF WORLD AFFAIRS

Things Fall Apart

THE MINISTRY OF ARTS / BOOKS DEPT.

Idris Elba and the Reification of Things Fall Apart

News of Idris Elba starring in the screen adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart has generated mixed opinions. These opinions have raised questions about why works of fiction are often treated as real, rather than imitations of reality.

Maame Blue

THE MINISTRY OF ARTS / FIRST DRAFT INTERVIEWS

‘I Love a Messy Romance’ Maame Blue’s First Draft

Ghanaian writer and author of The Rest of You, Maame Blue, says her debut novel, Bad Love, was inspired by own dating experiences at the time of writing: ‘I wanted to explore how first love shapes who we are for everyone else we meet afterwards, and what it means to navigate a relationship for the first time.’

Oil

THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS X THE ECONOMY

The Dutch Disease of Nigeria’s Oil Sector

While Nigeria has experienced oil-fuelled growth, over-reliance on the sector and a lack of diversification have kept the economy shackled, raising critical questions about Nigeria’s ability to move beyond resource dependence.

Women

THE MINISTRY OF GENDER X SEXUALITY

Being Pro-Women Is Not Anti-men

Why are boys’ issues often used to derail the conversation when issues affecting girls are raised? Until men recognize that our true battle is against patriarchy and not feminism, we will remain stuck, unable to achieve meaningful progress.

queer

THE MINISTRY OF GENDER X SEXUALITY

A Queer Dream of New and Unassimilable Things

As the rest of the world watches the exodus of American users from TikTok to RedNote, it reveals a telling paradox: Western claims to digital freedom depend on portraying contexts like Africa and Asia as uniquely hostile repressive Others, while masking their own suppression of queer expression—a power dynamic that the Global South has long been co-opted to maintain.

Books

THE REPUBLIC RECOMMENDS

7 Books Every True Romantic Should Read

In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of books every true romantic should read this Valentine’s season. These books are sure to reward you with all the lovey-dovey emotions.

Ogoni

THE REPUBLIC PODCAST

S2 EP5: The Ogoni 8

Following the murders of the Ogoni chiefs, Rivers State military administrator, Lieutenant Colonel Dauda Musa Komo, and the Abacha regime finally had their way in to disrupt MOSOP. On May 22 1994, Komo held a press conference, where he accused MOSOP of the murders. But how did the government decide who to arrest? The fifth episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Lola

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

What Is in a Yorùbá Name?

In her second collection, Ceremony for the Nameless, Theresa Lola explores the significance of names and naming in Yorùbá culture.

ANNOUNCEMENT DESK

Onyeka Onwenu
#NIGERIANICON

The Endless Life of Onyeka Onwenu

Nigerian pop icon Onyeka Onwenu died earlier this year. With an iridescent career spanning decades, Onwenu’s knowledge of Nigeria’s failings ran as deep as her capacity to imagine and believe in a better Nigeria.

Women

Being Pro-Women Is Not Anti-men

Why are boys’ issues often used to derail the conversation when issues affecting girls are raised? Until men recognize that our true battle is against patriarchy and not feminism, we...

THE LATEST IN PRINT
VOL. 8, NO. 4
REIMAGINING NIGERIAN HERITAGE

Now Available: Our November 2024 – January 2025 Print Issue

Featuring: 
Republic editor, Wale Lawal, in conversation with Museum of West African Art director, Ore Disu; Emmanuel Esomnofu on the magic of musician, William Onyeabor; Kéchi Nne Nomu on the legendary influence of pop icon, Onyeka Onwenu, who died earlier this year; Ozoz Sokoh on the foods inspired by novelist, Buchi Emecheta; Yusuf Omotayo on the timelessness of Tunde Kelani’s Yoruba film classic, Ṣaworoìdẹ; and much more!

THE LATEST IN PRINT
VOL. 8, NO. 4
REIMAGINING NIGERIAN HERITAGE

Now Available: Our November 2024 – January 2025 Print Issue

Featuring: 
Republic editor, Wale Lawal, in conversation with Museum of West African Art director, Ore Disu; Emmanuel Esomnofu on the magic of musician, William Onyeabor; Kéchi Nne Nomu on the legendary influence of pop icon, Onyeka Onwenu, who died earlier this year; Ozoz Sokoh on the foods inspired by novelist, Buchi Emecheta; Yusuf Omotayo on the timelessness of Tunde Kelani’s Yoruba film classic, Ṣaworoìdẹ; and much more!

African Feminist Manifesto

vol.8 no.1 / EDITOR'S FOREWORD

‘An African Feminist Manifesto’

For whom is the transformative potential of feminism new? Our latest issue, An African Feminist Manifesto, considers the imperatives for Black African feminism(s) in our uniquely uncertain times, plus more.

queer

COVER ESSAY

A Queer Dream of New and Unassimilable Things

As the rest of the world watches the exodus of American users from TikTok to RedNote, it reveals a telling paradox: Western claims to digital freedom depend on portraying contexts like Africa and Asia as uniquely hostile repressive Others, while masking their own suppression of queer expression—a power dynamic that the Global South has long been co-opted to maintain.

Frida Orupabo

THE MINISTRY OF ARTs / PHOTO DEPT.

Abrahamic Tradition

THE MINISTRY OF MEMORIES

A Womanist Reading of African Women in Abrahamic Tradition

Though the presence of Abrahamic tradition within global Black consciousness often finds expression through male-dominated narratives, a closer examination uncovers Black women at the very centres of the most path-altering moments in the tradition, offering analogues with which Black women have interpreted, reimagined and reclaimed their past, present, and future.

Second Class Citizen

THE MINISTRY OF ARTs / BOOKS DEPT.

50 Years of Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen

In 1974, Buchi Emecheta’s novel, Second-Class Citizen, was published. While this novel has inspired a generation of African writers, the themes Emecheta explored—such as Black immigrant life in the UK and the ills of a patriarchal society—remain as relevant today as ever.

Ogoni

S2 EP5: The Ogoni 8

Following the murders of the Ogoni chiefs, Rivers State military administrator, Lieutenant Colonel Dauda Musa Komo, and the Abacha regime finally had their way in to disrupt MOSOP. On May 22 1994, Komo held a press conference, where he accused MOSOP of the murders. But how did the government decide who to arrest? The fifth episode of the second season of The Republic is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.

continue reading

We get it. Sometimes the headline stories are just not enough.

ARTS & CULTURE

Jeriq

Jeriq’s Onitsha Gospel

Jeriq’s music acts as a reminder that there’s an established path to success, and by choosing to make the music he does, the artist may just be the most prolific...

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BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY

Oyetola

Gboyega Oyetola’s Blue Ministry

Nigeria’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy aims to harness the nation’s vast maritime potential but can Minister Gboyega Oyetola successfully navigate these complex waters?

HISTORY

Ogoni

S2 EP5: The Ogoni 8

Following the murders of the Ogoni chiefs, Rivers State military administrator, Lieutenant Colonel Dauda Musa Komo, and the Abacha regime finally had their way in to disrupt MOSOP. On May...

Saro-Wiwa

S2 EP4: The Kangaroo Court

On 19 January 1994, General Abacha sent a federal ministerial committee to Ogoniland to meet with Ken Saro-Wiwa in Bori. Lieutenant Colonel Komo, who acted as the official guide of...

Saro-Wiwa

S2 EP3: The Ogoni Crisis

How did the Ogonis’ peaceful protest turn into a nightmare that many in Ogoniland today are still shuddering from? How did the Ogonis’ hopes become weaponized against them? Let’s find...

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POLITICS

Russian

Tinubu’s Russian Roulette

The hoisting of Russian flags in Nigeria during recent protests suggests how President Tinubu’s ECOWAS foreign policy gambles might have triggered pro-Russian sentiments in Nigeria.

RADIO REPUBLIC

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Aya Care

Aya Care’s Sudden Fame

After going viral on social media, the women-led team at sanitary pad provider, Aya Care, found themselves at the centre of a renewed discussion about menstrual hygiene in Nigeria. What...

WORLD AFFAIRS

France

Tinubu’s Precious Frenchship

Amid growing anti-French sentiments in former African colonies, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s relationship with France raises the question of whether Nigeria will become Paris’s new inroad into Africa.

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