Where I come from, you do not say your deepest wants for fear of who is passing. Everything is a completion. you have troubles, I know still, They are not bigger than mine. You are the happiest human alive, you must learn to wear this camouflage till you have enough privacy to nourish your truth; … Continue reading Here, foreign.
CHAPTER III The seat belt lights came on as the air hostess said through a microphone. “We would be at the Lagos Muritala Mohammed airport in a couple of minutes so we encourage all passengers to fasten their seat belts” she said, her accent sounding almost British. So he had decided to go … Continue reading Dazzle Me Chapter 3 (Novel Excerpt)
It was a Monday. And as usual time had dragged. However, the work day finally came to a close. As I packed my books and laptop into my back-pack there was only one dominant thought on my mind – SLEEP! The fatigue of the studious weekend and the long night stayed with me all through … Continue reading The “Monday” Weekend
In The Eyes Of A MadMan A mad man sees things that no one else sees and he laughs because the things he sees are beautiful. Nnadi, a young man newly entering his second decade in Umuturu village, placed a pad upon his shoulder and lifted the basket of cassava onto it. He whistled as … Continue reading In The Eyes Of A MadMan
1. She was quite easily the most beautiful girl I knew, but when I asked her out and she said ‘No’ to me, I was glad. As I walked away from her right after, I heard her friends, clustering back about her, giggling, perhaps mocking; I ignored them – simply got into my car and … Continue reading A Time full of Love
*You know you can let me take over your body, Ejani,* Otu said coyly, *Wouldn’t you want to move that fast and effortlessly, let your mind rest for a few moments. You are exhausted, are you not?* Ejani felt a sudden heaviness come upon his limbs and he stumbled for a moment, almost falling over. … Continue reading Blood, Spirits and Promises – 2 of 3
Africa! From your womb I was born I suckled your nipples for life Drinking your breast milk like a velvety child Striving to thrive amidst life’s daily strife I am an African child An infant of prey to the white man’s claws Because of my black supple skin so mild A malleable membrane just in … Continue reading I Am An African
Blow high, blow low point to me my destined path, Puff near, puff far lift my soul to lofty heights. Flow in, flow out wash my feet in thy rolling waves, Pulse fast, pulse slow fill my soul with thy fulsome self. Cleanse me, purge me clear my heart from evil thoughts, Reach high, reach … Continue reading Incantations
The writer speaks out of real or imagined experience, tales do not spring from nothingness. And often, the reader studies fiction closely – for the truth. Works of fiction tell us stories of an era and complement history books. Yes, there is this compartmentalization; there are history books and there are novels and it is not … Continue reading Chika Ezeanya on Olaudah Equiano: Before We Set Sail
Taste the deep salt of my tears Realize that my heart is tethered in despairs Taste the solitude that binds me Then you shall realize I seek to be free Many the concerns that waft through But none to measure the contents of my grief This reality is to all but a domineering … Continue reading Never Again
You say you are African, But you bear the names of the British and Americans. Your fake hair looks fetish and is brazilian, Or probably gotten from a monk’s temple in India. Your face is like an artist’s canvas, A colourful fracas. Yet you claim to be African. You have no regards for your … Continue reading How come you are African?
It is harder to find an African who has no witch waiting for him at the threshold of success, in the dark privacy of his room, or elsewhere at all, than it is to find water in the Sahara. In the opinion of many, there is no point questioning the existence of witches. We have … Continue reading I Say Let The Witches Be.
I recently read something that reminded me of Rhema’s The Child Bride. I tried to talk the writer into taking poetry a little more serious (for the fun side of it) but she insisted she didn’t have ‘any’ talent for poetry. At first I thought just being modest, but she was serious. She … Continue reading An African Bride
I have often asked myself the same question in another form: Why are Africans in general and Nigerians in particular afraid of science fiction? I must begin by categorically stating that I’m neither a scientist nor a science student for that matter. Oh, I confess I’ve always been fascinated with ants, earthworms and documentaries on … Continue reading Are Africans Afraid Of The Future?
Alas! Thou western gods,
Despise not the feebleness of our words.
And of our progress,
Nor the might of our fortress.