Lolwe Magazine has unveiled its 11th issue, a reflective and wide-ranging collection that embraces the subtleties of silence, the weight of memory, and the living, breathing force of language. This latest issue is guest-edited by an international trio: Zanta Nkumane (Eswatini), Nadia Bongo (Gabon), and Joshua Thermidor (Haiti/USA).

In the introduction,“The Silences We Carry”, the editors put forth the central questions of this issue: “We have all been thinking about the role of art in these tumultuous times. And in this issue, we have asked ourselves what language does for us and how. The writers, in their own ways, have attempted to answer this, and it is that attempt that we celebrate.”

On the other side of spoken language is silence: “There is also silence, something that comes up in almost every piece that makes up this issue. Questions that cannot be answered, aches that cannot be named, the burden of the weight we carry… The writers explore them with a keen courage and offer a deeper understanding that illuminates and guides us all toward this light.”

This thematic thread—of language as a site of discovery, rupture, and resilience—runs through every section of the issue: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art.

The fiction section features writers from across the continent and diaspora, including Benjamin Cyril Arthur (Ghana), Rabi’atu Yakubu and Josiah Ikpe (Nigeria), Rebecca Emiru (Ethiopia), and Suad Kamardeen (UK/Nigeria). In the editors’ words, “Fiction at its best doesn’t explain, it opens. It doesn’t demand empathy but builds it sentence by sentence.”

The poetry in this issue is as visceral as it is lyrical. Featuring Loic Ekinga (Democratic Republic of Congo), Arao Ameny (Uganda/USA), Frank Njugi (Kenya), Susan Goffe (Jamaica), David Emeka (Nigeria), and Amanda Nechesa (Kenya), the poetry in this issue deals with Themes of love, family, and vulnerability. From Emeka’s haunting “Nightmare” to Ameny’s profound “Kidney Tree”, the poets “cleverly use our human imperfections and dark moments to show the reader the raw and complex reality of what love is.”

Essays by Haruna Solomon Binkam, Melba Morel, Chimezie Umeoka, Ezioma Kalu, and Wambui Waldhauser travel through memory, illness, social media, and personal reckoning. As the editors put it, “Whatever lies we tell ourselves will be revealed to us. Language, at work in these forms, walks and talks with us. It is distinctly alive.” These essays navigate the emotional terrain of youth, identity, and the unsettling power of introspection.

The symbolically rich cover is the work of Ibrahim Ben Saïd Camara, a photographer from Guinea. Illustrations throughout the issue are provided by Mòje Ikpeme. Works by Mike Wheeler and Taslimah Woli, both based in Nigeria, further contribute to the issue’s visuals.

Founded in 2020 by writer and editor Troy Onyango, Lolwe has emerged as one of the most respected platforms for contemporary Black writing and visual art. With over 400 contributors from countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, the magazine continues to push the boundaries of genre and geography.

Read the full introduction of the Lolwe 11 here and browse the works in the issue here.