Culture & Society

‘I Take Slow Time Very Seriously.’ Mpho Matsipa’s First Draft

Mpho MatsipaSeptember 24, 2021

Founder and curator of African Mobilities, Mpho Matsipa, has been thinking about colonial urban histories and the relationship between blackness, landscapes and the environment. Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviews

Grieving From a Distance A Transatlantic Memorial for My Grandfather

Damilola OyedeleSeptember 15, 2021

My grandfather passed away from COVID-19. Not being able to grieve physically with my family due to the pandemic’s lockdowns was cruel irony. Read more.

August/September 2021The Black Atlantic

‘Tell an African Story!’ Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo’s First Draft

Nnenna Ifeanyi-AjufoSeptember 8, 2021

Academic and author of ‘Gender, Anti-Colonialism and Nationalism: Discussing the Legacies of African Women’, Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo, believes it is important that Africans tell our own stories. Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviewsvol5-no3

‘Changing Your Mind Is Underrated.’ Bomi Fagbemi’s First Draft

Bomi FagbemiSeptember 8, 2021

Author of ‘The Shadow of Saint-Domingue’, Bomi Fagbemi, finds its difficult to separate good writing from a good story. Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviewsvol5-no3

‘Always Call Yourself a Writer.’ Tope Folarin’s First Draft

Tope FolarinAugust 27, 2021

Author of 'A Particular Kind of Black Man', Tope Folarin, believes creative writing is more than just having an active imagination. Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviews

Come and See The Redeeming Inventiveness of Kenneth Ize and Mowalola Ogunlesi

Wale Lawal and Boluwatife AkinroAugust 25, 2021

Kenneth Ize and Mowalola Ogunlesi both present a distinct way of engaging with African history but this time the lesson is for Africans themselves and concerns what Africans consider to be history. Read more.

August/September 2021

There’s No Place Like ‘Home’ Migration, Like Horticulture, Is a Delicate Process

Desola OlaleyeAugust 23, 2021

Moving to the UK was her parents’ dream; and leaving Nigeria was her loss—until she ditched the concept of ‘home’. Read more.

August/September 2021The Black Atlantic

‘The Only Bad Writers Are Those Who Never Start.’ Oreoluwa George-Taylor’s First Draft

Oreoluwa George-TaylorAugust 20, 2021

When author, Oreoluwa George-Taylor was writing ‘Everything I Desire is for Me’, she wanted a relatable entry point: ‘Most people hate fitting rooms, and most people have tried on something that didn’t fit quite right, so I knew readers would know what I meant.’ Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviews

Your Power Ends Where Mine Begins The Redeeming Freedom of Queerness

OluTimehin KukoyiAugust 18, 2021

Personal power provides all human beings with the right to define themselves. It is an act of violence to exert such powers of definition over other people without their consent or participation, argues OluTimehin Kukoyi. Read more.

August/September 2021

‘Adolescence Is a Relatively Young Concept.’ Edwin Okolo’s First Draft

Edwin OkoloAugust 13, 2021

Writer and author of ‘Iyibo My First’, Edwin Okolo, wishes more people realized the novelty of adolescence: ‘As early as 150 years ago, you were a child, and then became an adult.’ Read our interview.

August/September 2021First DraftInterviews