African True Stories

Did you know know that Eko (now Lagos island) in present day Nigeria was originally established as a military outpost of the Benin Empire? The Benin Empire was one of the most powerful state structures that existed in West Africa, before colonial rule was imposed on most of the region by Europeans. So a polity actually emerged in the forest region of Africa, that expanded via military conquests, to have this political hegemony over large territories. At its height, Benin controlled almost all of what is now mid western Nigeria. It dominated trade along the entire coastline from the Western Niger Delta, through Lagos even up to the very boundaries of present day Ghana. Much of Benin's territorial expansion beyond its original ethnic centre is thanks to these five kings (who ruled successively from 1440 - 1606) known as the Warrior Obas, as they personally led their armies into war: Oba Ewuare the Great who is reputed to have conquered about 201 towns and villages, known for his poli

Love is not always that gentle sunshine or the pleasant perfume of a well nourished flower garden. Sometimes love is a heavy weight in the heart, then it's a cold hand at your throat. Love is the throbbing muscles of a bowman's arms some days, sentenced to pull at an equipment bereft of a projectile. Everyone knows this, right? 'Okay, you are not going to fall into this girl's charms', was what I told myself when when we met. 'You mustn't because she's a blaze, a boisterous, persistent fire and you, you don't need all that'. No way you could know this but things changed the day we made that play on stage, you the nurse and I the lecherous old doctor. That day I bought into a fantasy.  I will be the one to loose your braids, massage your feet when you are sore and support your dreams. All your whims will I diligently indulge. To me, you will never be silly, I will carry you like egg. I am your cocoon. When it comes to it, my anger will

I don't like it when people come up to you and start asking about things that does not concern them, like 'whose child are you or how many siblings do you have or what would you like to be in the future?' Just keep your lips shut. That's what I've learnt. Think about it, what good can knowing do them or you?      Last year when the first term began in September, one of the corps members engaged our class in a dialogue, all about what we would like to be in the future. There wasn't a lot going on that day. It was only the third day of school for the term, and my first. Timetables were not out, the teachers weren't paying us any mind so we were left to our own devices. And then this overzealous corper came to spoil our rowdiness. Everyone seemed quite excited about the exercise. I was not fooled though. You should have been there. Then you'll see that all of JSS 3B of Government College, Bomadi was made of doctors, mechanical engineers, barristers and bu

Everyone knows it doesn't take a lot for a day that could have been splendid to be completely ruined. That might have been great for Ebiye, if it had been only a day. A phone call started it all. "So you don't know it's very bad for me to be watching Tinsels alone, on my own when you're in the house." Solakpe was saying as she settled in the chair beside him. Till she spoke, he hadn't noted her presence. There was an ice cream cup in her hand. "It must be because you're around or something," She laughed, "I can't keep up. My mind is not with the show. Are you okay Sweet?" "What? I am, definitely. Why?" He replied. She pushed the plastic spoon into his mouth. "You look like a truck crashed into your head." They were out on the balcony, with the green plants he cherished, which appeared lifeless to him now, wilting. The ice cream tasted sour in his mouth, made him sick. Their neighbour's kids were

An SUV's growl pokes at embers. The hawk's drumming height Speaks of more than liberty. I'll have rolls of milk hued rocks Splashed with sugar like Balls of puff puff Or maybe a barge striding Azure and cream. I am not certain. My gnarled peasant feet may be wiser. But it cannot tell what it wants, Only what it feels. It knows The way an onion stung eye sees. When we press against the sun For shelter and a refrigerator's buzz, Strung out, wiry old men are born; And bottomless green gashes Sucking at life With passion and desperation. The mockery of wings is crushing. But that is not the tragedy here.                          By Tenane

There is something about the generality of African literature that seems to set them apart from the others. It is hard to tell what that is exactly. They're earthy, surgical and brutal, I'll say, and sentient in a way that threatens to drown you wholly in the writer's world. You know, Africans do things with a kind of crushing finesse, like the way we make our food- spicy, thick with variety and then, simple. Chris Abani, he's modest, so to refer to him as a legend in African literature, one has to make sure his or her mouth is cupped. But that's what he is.     Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist currently residing in the United States. His first novel, Masters of the Board published in 1985 when he was sixteen is a political thriller about the events surrounding a coup carried out by 'neo-Nazis' in Nigeria. The plot proved uncomfortably close to actual events as a coup was attempted in the country not long after the novel was published, and so at eight

Knowledge is freedom. And there's nothing developing nations are more starved of than the freedom and power of knowing. But that's just likely, seeing as individuals and governments of poor countries do not seem to be paying adequate attention to the proper issuance of knowledge.     Fred Swanniker is among those few Africans that are really enthusiastic about education, that business most people do not take to be sufficiently rewarding. He is one of the co-founders of the African leadership Academy (ALA) which has branches in Mauritius and South Africa, and hopes to open twenty-five more campuses around Africa by 2060. The institution, launched in 2005 teaches leadership skills to high school age African students as part of a highly innovative curriculum. It's vision is to impart strong leadership abilities and entrepreneurial skills to the next generation of Africans.     ALA was named one of 2016's most innovative companies by Fast Company. Swanniker and the school