I kept
the mandate of my people
I died
the death of self
SAIL ON TO TOMORROW & THE FOREVER OF OUR MEMORIES | a poem by Kukogho Iruesiri Samson
Imomotimi, sail on to the other side
As we paddle words to hurry waves for you
While counting time on our prayer beads
AN ODE TO THE SON OF THE SOIL: A TRIBUTE TO CHINUA ACHEBE | a poem by Chidera Udochukwu
The most valuable Nigerian export is neither gold nor oil,
It is Chinua Achebe, the true son of the soil,
This is the poem to celebrate black excellence
BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF NOTABLE AFRICAN WRITERS: WALE OKEDIRAN’S REMARKABLE LITERARY MASONRY IN NIGERIA’S ARTS SPACE | A CỌ́N-SCÌÒ PACESETTER PROFILE
It is easier for people to hold on and keep on giving their all when they know they have an army of supporters solidly behind them. Through the Ebedi Residency, which has become a comfortable home for many Nigerian writers, Okediran contributes his quota to the growth of “the community” he advocates for.
FROM EARLY AFRICAN ROOTS TO SUPPORTING AFRICAN WRITING: BRIGITTE POIRSON LEAVES DEEP FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF NIGERIAN LITERATURE | A CỌ́N-SCÌÒ PACESETTER PROFILE
Having had her imagination shaped from a young age by African stories, Brigitte Poirson has contributed immensely to the shaping of literature in the country in over a decade of active support. Her mark on Nigerian literature will remain indelible for generations to come.
POETICS OF SELFLESSNESS & SOCIAL CHANGE: ERIATA ORIBHABOR IS THE SELFLESS ‘MERCHANT OF POETRY’ IN NIGERIA’S ART INDUSTRY | A CỌ́N-SCÌÒ PACESETTER PROFILE
For Oribhabor, “everyone is an opportunity requiring opportunities to blossom,” and he’s ready to provide these opportunities even when funding and support are not there. He doesn’t mind taking from his personal pockets to encourage young poets, who he believes still have the energy and can afford the selflessness required to use poetry for social change, and he has been doing just that, always thinking of innovative ways to support young and aspiring poets.
OLUMIDE HOLLOWAY’S AUDACITY, FAITH & PASSION: QUITTING BANKING TO PIONEER THE TRICKY BUSINESS OF SPOKEN WORD SHOWBIZ IN NIGERIA | A CỌ́N-SCÌÒ PACESETTER PROFILE
King Olulu remains a pacesetter in the Nigerian poetry and spoken-word performance business. His works and their fruits speak for themselves, and it is only fitting that his name is etched in the good books of history.
FEMINISM IS ADVOCACY FOR EQUALITY, NOT A GENDER BATTLE: UKAMAKA OLISAKWE TALKS FEMINISM & RELATED THEMES IN OGADINMA WITH CỌ́N-SCÌÒ MAGAZINE
Feminism is advocacy for equality. The idea that it is a battle against a certain gender is disingenuous…people who hold onto these ideas, who underpin feminism with such harmful connotations, do not want to have an honest conversation.
SHAPES | by Mhembeuter J. Orhemba
I look up nude men on Google. A gathering pulls inside me, dies as quickly as it started. I try nude women. I soak in their fullness and curves. I wait, for the heady momentum of arousal. The fire in my chest rather grows hotter—I close the tab.
THE FEMINIST BURDEN: ATTAINING INDEPENDENCE ON THE WINGS OF UNAPOLOGETIC REBELLION | a Review Of Ukamaka Olisakwe’s “Ogadinma Or, Everything Will Be All Right” by Ehi-kowoicho Ogwiji
Ukamaka explores feminism and its subsets—the resoluteness of cultures around the world to commoditize and possess women, and female complicity in patriarchy, among others. I consider Ogadinma a very important story because of how it zooms in on areas of feminism that we barely talk about.