Culture & Society

Like a Compass Pointing to Nsukka 20 years of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

Ernest NwekeSeptember 1, 2023

20 years ago, Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, made her debut in the Nigerian literary scene with Purple Hibiscus. With all its masterfully curated elements that immediately stamped Adichie as a global literary voice, her 2003 novel remains an incisive guide to Nsukka.

August/September 2023Best of 2023: EssaysNigeriaReadingvol7-no3

August Reading 2023 Half-Year Reading from The Republic’s Contributors

Peace Yetunde OnafuyeAugust 30, 2023

Our 2023 August Reading list features the most important books so far this year based on recommendations from The Republic’s contributors.

AfricaAugust/September 2023Reading

‘Na Mumu Dey Go Boutique’ The Essential Economics of Nigeria’s Okrika Industry

Ayobami OmoleAugust 29, 2023

Deeply rooted in Nigeria’s culture and commerce, Okrika (thrift clothes) is a vital source of affordable clothing for many Nigerians. A looming ban on Okrika is set to change not just Nigeria’s fashion industry but life in Nigeria as we know it.

August/September 2023Best of 2023: EssaysNigeria

‘Romance Is Good for the Soul’ Yejide Kilanko’s First Draft

Yejide KilankoAugust 25, 2023

Nigerian novelist and author of Daughters Who Walk This Path, Yejide Kilanko, wants to write more children’s books in the future: ‘I have had the privilege of publishing two children’s picture books. I want to write more children’s books that feature diverse characters. Every child should be able to see themselves represented in accessible books.’

August/September 2023First DraftInterviewsNigeria

Nigeria’s Mirage of Religious Freedom How Traditional Worshippers are Navigating Nigeria’s Landscape of Religious Intolerance

Oluwatobi OdeyinkaAugust 20, 2023

Like many worshippers of non-Abrahamic religions in Nigeria, adherents of Isese have routinely faced discrimination, hostility and human rights abuses. Can Isese followers achieve the improved political and social recognition they seek?

August/September 2023

‘My Writing Is Rarely Inspired by Societal Happenings’ Ekemini Pius’ First Draft

Ekemini PiusAugust 18, 2023

Editor and author of Caine Prize shortlisted story ‘Daughters, By Our Hands’ Ekemini Pius, believes rather than the subject, how a story is written makes a text powerful.

August/September 2023Best of 2023: First DraftFirst DraftInterviewsNigeria

The Arrival of Burna Boy Remembering L.I.F.E Ten Years Later

Zainab KukuAugust 12, 2023

Exactly ten years ago, Burna Boy released his debut album. L.I.F.E was a bold and unsafe debut; has it lived up to its promise?

August/September 2023Best of 2023: EssaysNigeria

‘My Practice and Method of Writing Are Obsessive’ Ernest Nweke’s First Draft

Ernest NwekeJuly 28, 2023

Author of ‘Nigeria vs the South East: The Glaring Igbophobia of the 2023 Elections’ Ernest Nweke, believes the anti-Igbo bigotry of the last election season was an experience many Igbos are familiar with despite denial and gaslighting from the rest of Nigeria.

First DraftInterviewsJune/July 2023Nigeria

Who’s Afraid of Nigerian Literature? The Resilience of Nigerian Writing

Kéchi Nne NomuJuly 27, 2023

The exodus of a new generation of Nigerian writers has sparked discussions about the state of Nigerian literature in recent times. Some have asserted that Nigerian literature is dead or dying and that writing from within a Nigerian context, from home, is becoming an endangered art.

Best of 2023: EssaysJune/July 2023NigeriaReading

The Miseducation of Nigerian Poets The Excessive Influence of American Literary Magazines on Nigerian Poetry

Michael Chiedoziem ChukwuderaJuly 26, 2023

Social media sparked a new life into Nigerian literature in the 2010s. But since American magazines became more prominent to Nigerian poets, many are seemingly now in a choreography of style and themes.

June/July 2023