On Stories and Writing: Quotes From 10 Nigerian Writers
“Without stories, we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. Even in silence we are living our stories.” ― Ben Okri, Birds of Heaven “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity […]
A Day in the Life of a Nigerian Househelp
Twelve-year-old Titi does not know her surname. She also does not know that she is from the Republic of Benin and not Nigeria, where she currently works as domestic help – cleaning, cooking, and washing laundry for a family of six. But she does remember her mother’s first name, and a long journey from her village […]
Media Turns Boko Haram Into ‘Superstar Monsters’
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani My friend’s eight-year-old daughter burst into tears while watching a Boko Haram video release on TV the other evening. The terrorist group has been receiving the kind of local and international media coverage that could make even a Hollywood megastar explode with envy. At the current rate, the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, […]
Letter from Africa: In Fear of Child-Snatchers
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani In our series of letters from African journalists, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani considers the issue of child protection in Nigeria as the authorities in the east of the country crack down on “baby factories”. Over the past few weeks, I have been engaged in an educational project with a community on the […]
Life With Boko Haram
In December 2010, Nigeria experienced its first wave of terrorist bombings at Christian churches. In 2011, we had our first-ever suicide car bombing, at the United Nations headquarters here. The explosion rattled my nearby office building. Flinging myself on the floor, I assumed it was an earthquake. A bomb was still the last thing on […]
One Woman’s Mission to Save Nigeria’s Palms
She has the largest private collection of plants in Nigeria, with more than 2,000 trees and shrubs, and 400 types of palm growing in her garden, built up over eight years in the capital, Abuja. The 72-year-old imports many of Nigeria’s endangered plants as seeds – her aim is to conserve, propagate and disseminate forgotten […]
Nigerian Tribalism: A Personal Love Story
There really isn’t much hope for my father’s generation in terms of relinquishing tribal sentiments. Our only hope is our youth. When I was 17, a tall, handsome doctor fell in love with me. He left Nigeria, shortly after, for his residency in America, and proceeded to prove how much he was still in love […]
Igbo Burials: How Nigeria Will Bid Farewell to Achebe
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Dignitaries from across the world are gathering in Ogidi, in Nigeria’s Anambra state, to witness the interment of renowned author Chinua Achebe on Thursday. Yet after they have paid their last respects, said their final farewells and departed, a vital aspect of Mr Achebe’s burial will still be pending. According to Igbo […]
Preventing a Deadly Disease
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Kicker: More Nigerians are protecting their potential children from sickle cell Jackie Onyemelukwe was in her final year at Imo State University when her boyfriend, Chuka, proposed. They began making plans to get married, but there was an unexpected pitfall. The pastor of their church asked them if they were […]
In Nigeria, You’re Either Somebody or Nobody
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani ABUJA, Nigeria In America, all men are believed to be created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. But Nigerians are brought up to believe that our society consists of higher and lesser beings. Some are born to own and enjoy, while others are born to toil and […]
Losing the Blame Game
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Last January, thousands of Nigerians stormed the streets to oppose an insensitive government policy that suddenly hiked the pump price of petrol by over 100 percent, in a country where 99 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Victory was soon declared by the historic ‘Occupy Nigeria’ […]
My Degree Is Better Than Yours
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. My friend’s niece has been sulking and shedding tears. She does not want to attend university in Nigeria. Government officials here send their children abroad to school. Families that can afford it also do the same. It is rare to find anyone with an alternative choosing to stay behind. “All my […]
Reform, in the Name of the Father
SOME of the best nights at our home in Umuahia were those when Emma Nsofor, my father’s lawyer, came to dinner. Not only did he bring me and my four siblings Smarties, but his presence guaranteed that we could get away with almost anything; our father was rarely as thrilled as when they sat talking late into the night, with dozens of law books strewed about the living room floor.
Are We Really “Travel” Safe?
Throughout her childhood, Uche Anuligo’s family travelled back to their ancestral home for Christmas and New Year. Every year, father, mother and six children, including Uche, embarked on the nine-hour road journey from Kano to Anambra.
James Ibori and the ‘somebodys’ and ‘nobodys’ of Nigeria
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani The most corrupt officials are often the most generous, but letting this system continue only preserves the giver’s power. This week, former Nigerian state governor James Ibori was sentenced by a British judge to 13 years in prison. He is guilty on two counts. One is corruption – a crime of which many […]
10 Nigerian Wordsmiths You Should Know
Editor’s Note: In this article, Tamara Gausi profiles 10 Nigerians in the arts that are worth knowing and watching. Some of these people in arts are home-grown, while others are foreign-based. The list gives an insight into why Nigeria’s literary industry should be watched in 2011.