There is something urgent about the word current. It speaks of the present moment and the forces that move beneath it. It suggests electricity, flow, direction, relevance, and change. To be current is to be alive to one’s time, aware of the realities that shape us, and attentive to the shifting landscapes of language, culture, memory, technology, and identity. It is in this spirit that we present our June 2026 edition of CỌ́N-SCÌÒ Magazine, guided by the theme, ‘CURRENT.’
This edition gathers voices that engage the contemporary moment and the general notion of current, even as an image of water, from multiple directions. Some contributors interrogate the place of language in a rapidly changing world; others grapple with geography, location and dislocation, in addition to questions of belonging, loss, love, inheritance, creativity, and survival. Together, they form a conversation about what it means to live meaningfully in an age of constant movement. It is also a special edition that features some of the award-winning and shortlisted pieces from the Briggitte Poirson Literature Prize 2025.
At the centre of this issue is our spotlight conversation with the remarkable performance poet, novelist, and cultural advocate Àrẹ̀mọ̀ Gemini. In a wide-ranging discussion with guest editor Sarah Adeyemo, he reflects on the responsibilities of cultural custodianship, the future of indigenous languages, the intersections of tradition and technology, and the necessity of creating art that remains rooted while speaking to contemporary realities. His assertion that ‘a language that cannot describe the modern world will be abandoned’ resonates throughout this edition and serves as a fitting lens through which to encounter many of the works gathered here.
The poetry section offers a rich spectrum of voices and concerns from thirteen fine poets. Here, contributors navigate personal and collective histories, grief and healing, memory and becoming, social realities and private reckonings. Felix Eshiet’s ‘The Thin Line Between a Heartbeat and the Fragile Hands of Machines,’ which won the Brigitte Poirson Literature Prize 2025 (Poetry), stands out with its delicate handling of a baby fighting for her life with ‘a skin so thin you could see/the rivers of veins flowing.’ The runners-up in the competition, Nathan Felix, Akindutire, Elizabeth Abosede and Blessing Omeiza Ojo also make appearances with intriguing poems that look at life, nature, time, and oblivion. MK Kuol’s ‘when you imagined yourself an iceberg’ is a standout poem in terms of style, imagery, and placement that is heavily philosophical and soul-searching. Other poets featured in the section include Chinecherem Enujioke, Timileyin Adepoju, Alexander Izang, Wisdom Nemi Otikor, John Chizoba Vincent, Sofiat Omoqumi Ramon, Adeleke Babatunde, Servio Gbadamosi and our guest editor, Sarah Adeyemi. These poems demonstrate the enduring ability of language to illuminate both the intimate and the universal, while reminding us that the currents shaping our lives often flow beneath the surface. The final poem in the section, ‘On the Benue’ by Servio Gbadamosi, looks at a realist and philosophical mode of encounters at the River Benue, while referencing its sibling, the River Niger, two popular Nigerian large waterbodies, which we also get to experience in the photography section, as explored shortly.
The Art and Photo section brings brilliant visual aesthetics to the fore. Caleb Ishaya Oseshi and our poetry editor, Jide Badmus, give us different angles of large water bodies that seem like two sides of a coin, while our Editor-in-Chief, Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, captures the current of the never-resting city of London. Caleb’s pictures taken during a trip at the confluence of the River Benue and River Niger in Bassa, Kogi State, Nigeria, document the lived realities of a community whose daily commute home involves crossing these waters. Shooting from Aberdeen, Scotland, and the Arboretum, Nottingham, England, Jide Badmus shifts our perspective to waters undisturbed by humanity yet busy in their own way; a coastline with active waves, ducks on water, trees and greens all around. There are ripples through the images and something reflective in every shot represented in this issue that calls even the casual viewer to sit a while and gaze. The photographs gathered here invite us to consider movement, environment, belonging, and the often-overlooked beauty of ordinary moments.
The Short Fiction section is composed of the winning Brigitte Poirson Literature Prize 2025 (Short Story) piece, ‘An Ehi Speaks’ by Adesuwa Agbonile, and the works of the runners-up: ‘A Dark Quinquennial’ by Ibrahim Oga and ‘The Weight of Our Steps’ by Christian Emecheta. Whether grounded in realism or reaching toward the speculative, these stories explore the complexities of human relationships, personal transformation, and the unseen forces that shape our choices. Each of these stories opens a distinct window into contemporary experience and the currents present in various scenarios.
In Essays and Non-Fiction, our contributors engage literature, culture, society, and ideas with insight and critical depth. With an essay and loads of book reviews, questions of representation, storytelling, identity, and cultural continuity emerge repeatedly, creating rich and engaging conversations. Opening the section is a review of ‘Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots by Sima Essien, followed by an essay by Boakye D. Alpha that tackles misogyny and feminism from an empathetic masculine angle. Our poetry editor, Jide Badmus, makes a second appearance with his review of Vic’Adex’s (full name Adetimelehin Inioluwa Victor) Poetry Has All My Pain and Love Through the Eyes of a Village Boy, which furthers the discourse on masculinity from an internal node. Godsgift Isaiah reviews Uzoamaka J. Eze’s Half Open Lid, while Kehinde Folorunsho takes a stab at Moonbeam: An Anthology of Short Stories, as edited by Anote Ajeluorou.
Cumulatively, this issue is a glorious harvest that shows the currency of time as a convergence of many streams: the past flowing into the future, tradition meeting innovation, private memory encountering public history, and individual voices joining larger conversations. We are reminded that to be current is to remain alive to possibilities while carrying forward the cultural inheritances that make us who we are.
A big ‘Thank You’ to our contributors for these gems. Kudos to my fellow editors, Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, Jide Badmus, and Sarah Adeyemo, for a job well done once more. To our engaging readers, thank you for your time.
As you journey through these pages, we invite you to pay attention to the currents that move through them, and perhaps to those moving quietly through your own life. In whatever way life flows, may it be kind.
Su’ur Su’eddie Vershima AGEMA Fiction & Features Editor, CỌ́N-SCÌÒ Magazine
