In July 1967, the then seven-year-old state of Nigeria went to war in its eastern region against the newly seceded state of Biafra, with a population mostly Igbo but also Ijaw, Efik, and Ibibio, among others. The 30-month conflict, which left up to two million civilians dead in the region, is the darkest moment for […]
Tag Archives: Flora Nwapa
Google Celebrates Flora Nwapa with a “This Day in History” Doodle
Today is Flora Nwapa‘s birthday and Google celebrates it with one of its signature anniversary doodle. Flora Nwapa is Nigeria’s first female novelist. She was a close friend of Chinua Achebe who gave her her big break as a writer. Read the inspiring story here. Her most popular work is a Efuru, a dark, quirky […]
The River and Femininity in Nigerian Literature | Review of Adeniyi’s On the Bank of the River | By Emilia J. Bryce
In On the Bank of the River, Ifeoluwapo Adeniyi uses the experience of childhood to articulate important ideas about parenting, girl-child education, rural-urban encounters, and intergenerational tensions in Nigeria. The protagonist of the novel, Enitan, realizes that the constant sorrow that has become her mother’s personality is a product of a failed love affair, which […]
Flora Nwapa and the Letter That Changed Nigerian Literature Forever
In the early 1960s, Flora Nwapa sent Chinua Achebe a mail containing a manuscript. She probably didn’t imagine that much would come out of it. Unlike most writers of her time, becoming a writer did not start out as a life’s goal. “There was nothing in me when I was in school that made me feel […]
Why Zadie Smith Tops Adichie’s List of Women Who Write Well and Dress Well
While Chimamanda Adichie is not the only fashion-loving novelist out there, she is certainly unparalleled in her openness about it. Her now famous Elle Magazine essay titled, “Why Can’t Smart Women Love Fashion,” is a must-read for anyone interested in a feminist politics of fashion. In addition to professing her love for fashion, Adichie also […]
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