Nigeria has a history of artistes using creative methods to question power. Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti notoriously lampooned the military government in his music. Still, for many of Nigeria’s satirists, criticising those in power also comes with more indirect difficulties today.
Read MoreThe idea of starting Cassava Republic, a Nigerian publishing firm dedicated to African literature, came to Bakare-Yusuf when she traveled to Nigeria as a visiting academic from the UK. She was shocked by the narrow range of literature in the bookshops and the non-existent libraries in the homes she visited.
Read MoreElnathan John’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story set in northern Nigeria. Its simple, unembellished prose is narrated by Dantala, the smart, inquisitive street kid and Islamic scholar, and presents a convincing picture of how poverty, corruption and brutality perpetrated by security forces have bred disaffection and insurgency groups in the country.
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