Wana Udobang, popularly known as WanaWana, is no stranger to the Brittle Paper community. We’ve read her poetry, enjoyed her short stories, and watched her films. But her latest project is something slightly out of the ordinary. It is an experimental blend of storytelling, spoken-word poetry, and music—an 11-track poetry album titled “In Memory of Forgetting.”

As a blend of literary and pop-culture elements, “In Memory of Forgetting” secures WanaWana as one of the most innovative writers in the contemporary Nigerian literary scene.

“In Memory of Forgetting” is her sophomore album. It features poet Titilope, singer/songwriter Cat Mayel and music from producers Femi Leye and Echo. Lanre Sabre Oladimeji is the album’s creative director, lead and executive producer.

Udobang is never one to shy away from asking questions that rip up the illusion of comfort barricading the honesty and openness we all need to find meaning in life. This album perfectly illustrates this aspect of her work. It explores vulnerability, brokenness, and violation in order to open up avenues of liberation, love and self-renewal.

Here is how Wana Udobang puts it: “This album is really some of my most personal and intimate work. The process required me to deal with very uncomfortable truths in order to be honest. I was able to create a collection of sonically cohesive poems that keep my listeners trapped in a certain headspace. Stylistically, I kept it simple. As I have grown as an artist, I no longer feel compelled to overly complicate things. Overall, making the album was quite cathartic for me. I hope my listeners find themselves in some way inside of my work.”

Congrats to Udobang! We are excited about this new work, in part, because two of the poems—“Catfish” and “Banquet”– have been housed right here on Brittle Paper. So yes, we have been on to Udobang’s genius for a long time. Congrats to our favorite poet. We wish her all the best.

The album is now available for purchase  iTunes, Amazon and Deezer https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/wanawana. Lagos residents can pick up a copy at Terra Kulture and Rele Gallery. It is also available at the Salamander Café in Abuja.