On the 24th August 2024— 25 days to my 22nd birthday, I emerged the 55th President -Elect of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies, ABU Chapter.
Alhamdullilah for yet another higher calling in my student leadership journey. 👜🙇🏿♂️
On the 16th September 2023— two days to my 21st birthday, I emerged the 54th Vice President- Elect of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies, Ahmadu Bello University Chapter.
Alhamdulillah for yet another higher calling. I'm grateful! 💼🥺🙏
"They will ask me when I first knew I was in love with you.
I will sigh and say I don’t know."
Yes. A Broken People's Playlist. We go again this year.📒🥹
Just found this letter written by Cyprian Ekwensi— to one of his holier -than- thou critics after Jagua Nana was released, and ọmọ, Baba savage die!
Glad he stood up to them.
Credit: Ernest Emenyonu (1974). Cyprian Ekwensi in Modern African Writers, Evans Brothers Limited.
@yumnah_elkhabir
Musa AS.
Was a poor speaker and shy person, yet led a nation under physical and mental bondage out of the shackles of Fir'aun.
And the miracle of the Red Sea? Subhanalah.
Today's one of my happiest days in 2023.
From topping my sophomore class and officially becoming a literature major in university, to having my idolo's letter blow up on Twitter, to reconnecting with my high school teacher, all I can say is
Alhamdullilah rabbil alamin.🥺🧎
* blinks away tears*🤍🥺
Among the good things that has happened to me today, this is a major highlight.
Meet ẸbùnOlúwa -Adé Taiwo, my former teacher in high school. She touched a life with a few words while serving her fatherland, and I'm proud to have reconnected with her.
I was just a 23 year old English Literary Studies graduate from Isawo Ikorodu, trying to make the best of NYSC in Yahaya Bello’s Lokoja 🥹
@aa_damilola
I am super proud of you and happy to be part of your success story❤️❤️❤️
If you're an aspiring writer about to go to college, studying Literature (especially in Nigeria) almost never makes you a better one, rather it will stifle your creative ability in ways you won't understand.
Study something else instead.
Glad to announce I've been accepted into the Nwokike Creative Writing Workshop 2024, organized by
@NwokikeClub
of The University of Nigeria!
Grateful to the facilitators and hopeful the workshop will be instrumental to further developing my craft in CNF. 🤭👏
Finally decided to begin freelancing officially after what has been a long time facing imposter syndrome.
It's time I started monetising my skill set, certifications and experience in freelance writing, digital marketing, and communications.
This semester, I'd be studying Afro- American/Caribbean Literature and the Nigerian Novel. Side attractions include Research Methodology, Orature and Multimedia and I'd be studying Olú Obáfẹ́mi in the special author category.
Stressfully excited for this new chapter.
•A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks.
•Purple Hibiscus by CNA
•The Passport of Malam Ilia by Cyprian Ekwensi
•The Concubine by Elechi Amadi.
I've read these four books cover- to cover, year to year. Unashamedly. 🥺📖
Isaiah Adépọ̀ju's debut novel "Happiness is a Sickle- kiníkan in my Belly" to be published by Abibiman UK, by will be distributed in Nigeria by Roving Heights. You can pre-order here:
Dear African Literature Twitter,
My essay on Cyprian Ekwensi: 'The Unsung Hero of Nigerian Literature' is up on Medium.
Do read, share, and make valuable feedbacks. Thank you!🇳🇬🤭
In my passion for African Literature, I find myself shuffling between the past and present, in various genres, with a quest for fresh critical perspectives on the continent's literary output.
@Tunde_OD
this is beautiful. the brilliance shimmering from his yes, and your slight gasp on discovering his ingenuity. may he chess his way to greatness!
•Got published in a dream mag
@AfWriterMag
.
•Became Director of Media and Publicity for my University's Creative Writers' Club
@cwc_abu
.
•Started Blogging on African Literature on
@Medium
.
I no brag o, still doing everything afraid and grateful for growth. Alhamdullilah
Yesterday, we had a rich and interesting discussion with
@NzubeNlebedim
of the Shallow Tales Review, on African literary magazines and what they've been doing for the creative industry .
Dear African Literature Twitter,
Apart from her best-selling books, AL also has a rich body of work from her established and emerging voices, published in her literary magazines.
A 🧵
Home is now a strange metaphor for me. What am I even talking about? A house? A person? A memory? A moment? Home is my vague destination. Beautifully vague.
Ayo Adams is taking yoruba documentary filmmaking to a whole new level.
Bolanle is doing amazing with her storytelling, and we will soon start seeing her on Oyinmomo.
Olorisports is running Yoruba commentary on Supersport for 2022 World Cup games.
Proudly Yoruba!
@ahhbeegal
I have read Things Fall Apart. I have read Purple Hibiscus. I have read The Fishermen— all by authors of Igbo origin. This is absolutely true!
• Freelance with my writing skills more.
•Attend major industry events
•Participate more in writing workshops
• Write more than I talk about it
• Start submitting CNF pieces.
InshaAllah.
Just discovered that Brittle Paper, a dream mag, has free courses on the art of writing on its website. I'm currently taking one, and I like the approaches used. Fellow writers, hop on this if you haven't. Thank you
@brittlepaper
!
An acceptance mail from World Voices Magazine.
This is the first time I'd be getting a writers honorarium for an accepted piece— & that confirms:
There is, for all good things coming, a beginning.
Alhamdullilah.
Purple Hibiscus by CNA
The Concubine by Elechi Amadi
The Potter's Wheel by Chukwuemeka Ike.
I unconsciously favorite a book by how many times I go back to it. Glad to realize almost all my favorite novels are from writers of Igbo origin. Very fine storytellers, I tell you. 🤭
Started shuffling between the LitMags I posted yesterday& settled on Isele this evening.
Really cool CNF's they publish. 🤝🥺
Nana Hauwa Sule's Birthing the Mother had me clutching at my seat in painful suspense, & I'm currently reading Chinoso Nzeh's Slipping Away.
For Day 5 of
#AfricanPoets2024
,,,
I'd love to share
@ZainabBobi
's poem "Dreaming as a Silhouette of Prayer," published in Visual Verse.
Apart from being a fan of Bobi's experimenting with form in poetry, for many reasons, this poem resonates deeply with me.
Ameen🥺🤍
Thanks to all who've been contributing towards this so far,
@ZainabBobi
is a gift to contemporary Nigerian poetry and I trust the
@cavecanempoets
experience will be an inspiring one for her. You can donate here:
Being an African and not being able to speak or write fluent English is not a sign of low intelligence.
You know what is? Being one and not being able to speak and write (correctly) in any African language.
Might not be your fault, but you're a westernized olódo. I'm sorry.
I put snack wrappings in my pockets till I get to the next dustbin
I scroll past offensive posts so it won't get to my mutual's TL
I always go the bank with my own pen
Dear Amuda Abbas Olúwadámilólá,
You've won the fully funded scholarship from *one of the many applications I've made in the last two months* to continue your studies, now without fear of lack of acesss to educational hardware resources.
Bi idnillah, I'm hopeful of this! 🥺
Fill in the blank with your name:
Dear ______________________,
🔺Congratulations, your visa has been approved.
🔺Congratulations, you’ve been awarded the fully-funded scholarship.
🔺Congratulations, you’ve won the lottery.
🔺Congratulations, you got the job.
If I ever get an opportunity to serve in Nigeria's educational system, the first thing I'd advocate for is the disbursement of free laptops to students in tertiary institutions.
A lot of Nigerian students— myself inclusive; are going through hardships because we do have PC's.
Alhamdullilah.
In January 2024, I got my first ever PC.
As a freelance and creative writer, this is a major breakthrough I had been praying for for years.
If you come across this post, please say a prayer for
@HamzyCODE
. Thank you for all you do for the Nigerian child!🥺🙏
The most beautiful thing I've read this week!
This is Emmanuel Anuku, a roomie of mine in my sophomore year.
Man's was (is) effing brilliant! Tallest G in the block, One of the few 5 pointers in ABU Business School, a skilled accountant, and orator.
This is what gives literature its sublime importance. Literature makes it possible to encounter others in the mind first. Literature is the encounter of possibilities, the encounter of the work and the heart. It is the true ambassador of the unity of humankind.
— Ben Okri
Last week, I got a paid internship offer as a creative assistant in a cryptocurrency firm's PR section, yet I am feeling jittery about it cos the work tools are what my lagging smartphone can't adapt to for long. Having a PC would have make it easy, but here I am, struggling.
If I ever get an opportunity to serve in Nigeria's educational system, the first thing I'd advocate for is the disbursement of free laptops to students in tertiary institutions.
A lot of Nigerian students— myself inclusive; are going through hardships because we do have PC's.
"All she was left with now was an indispensable reminder of how the world could dispense with anyone; and the River Niger would still flow and the sun would still rise in the East and set in the West, not caring who on this earth is, or is not dispensable.
The Trojan War (c. 1194-1184 BCE), the War of the Roses (1455-1487) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) were all fought because of a woman.
Credit:
@HistoryVille
At the recently concluded NASELS ABU 2023 Dinner & Award night, I was awarded 'Most Active Exco', having served as the Librarian II in the 2021/ 2022 adminstration.
Dedicating this to Allah— the giver of strength, and all ABU NASELSITES who gave me the opportunity to serve.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Kenyan playwright, poet, & literary critic Prof. Micere Githae Mugo. A renowned figure in African literature and feminist thought, she passed from cancer on June 30, 2023 at the age of 81. May she rest in peace 🕊️
One of the advantages of setting your Twitter algorithm right with quality content is that you get to productively relax, even if you're just scrolling.
From learning new concepts to bumping into relevant opportunities or even just seeing other people's success stories >>>
Dear African Literature Twitter, I am working on (dunno what's going to turn out to yet) on Cyprian Ekwensi's life and work, and I'm here to making research enquires.
In recent times, has there been?
PLS RT
Dear X mutuals, hope the new week is going on great?
This is me and what I do. From CV/resume writing, to editing and ghostwriting fiction manuscripts, to writing sales copies, business reports and proposals, my services are tailored to suit different audience targets.
If you like, let Twitter standards make you pursue your destiny helper away o.
Anyone who worked for, earned, and gifted you money no matter the amount, deserves sincere appreciation!
Even the Prophet ﷺ said he who is not thankful to the people is not thankful to Allah.
5k is actually very little. Is better not to give at all except you are doing give away in which you give to like 20 or above persons. Nigeria economy is bad. 5k can almost not do anything now.
Just getting to receive this feedback on my yesterday's essay from a mentor who's on Facebook.
This is a perfect example of valuable feedback –insightful and constructive, which enables writers to learn, unlearn and re-evaluate critical perspectives on their work.
It's today O'clock!
Join Kaduna HCAF and Creative Writers'Club Ahmadu Bello University by 4PM WAT, as we discuss with
@NzubeNlebedim
, Founding editor of one of the leading literary magazines on the continent.
PS: You can invite a friend as well
📍:
@ABU_Campus
Any time I imagine this happened in ABU,I shout Audhubilah and pray for divine protection. Look at the way the student union of OAU intervened despite the silence from the management. Our school's student union structure in this case will be too weak to pull this off. Sigh.
@w1n1fr3d_
"We believe in you and trust in your stories. You should too"
They tried to make breakfast sound like a promissory note. Hardluck Winnie, the next shot will be a win.👏
@michaelinioluwa
1. Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen
2. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
3.Salihu Mahe's How To View the World from a Glass Prism
4. Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel
I've been doing this unconsciously till this tweet popped up.
"Things started to fall apart at home when Jaja missed communion and Papa flung his missal at him across the room and broke the figurines on the etagere..."
Purple Hibiscus by CNA— yes, that's it.
Congratulations to Victor Osimhen
@victorosimhen9
and Asisat Oshoala
@AsisatOshoala
for winning the male and female categories of the Footballer of the Year at the CAF. Awards.
Nothing beats the pure excellence of the Nigerian spirit! ⚽🇳🇬👏
Things started to fall apart at home when Jaja did not go to communion and Papa flung his missal at him and broke the figurines on the etagere...
— Purple Hibiscus by CNA.
@Letter_to_Jack
As many people have pointed out, using the Yorùbá tonal marks properly determines the quality of translation—and this applies to even figurative expressions.
Here's a tweet I made last month. The translation was so accurate.
You can check it out here
Where was I? Okay, I woke up to the task and faced it as if my life depends on it. I procrastinate a lot and will push my tasks till I get choked and then start rushing around it. Mumsy will say koda otibo😂😭.
Yes I do. Here's a digital repository of Cyprian Ekwensi's work in electronic format (books, interviews, research articles on his craft etc) I'm curating:
Ah, it's
@ZainabBobi
o.
I've religiously followed the works of Niyi Osundare and Zaynab Bobi since I came across them both.
For Bobi, her experimentation with form in poetry and portrayal of grief never ceases to amaze me.
I hope to meet both of them in person soon. 🥰🫶
2023 is almost ending and a lot of poets are making the long and short list of so many beautiful poetry journals.
Tag that your famous poet friend making waves and run away.
One of my goals on this app is to share my information and ideas responsibly.
There are days when my sarcasm might be critical salt on wounds, but I will never cross the line in trending for the wrong reasons, InshaAllah.
Thank you for the prayerful admonition, yallabai.
Àrò Mẹ́ta (Three White Cap Chiefs of Lagos) Symbol of Lagos, Yorubaland.
Àrò Mẹ́ta popularly called the “three wise men” is meant to welcome people coming into the city of Lagos.
The Àrò Mẹ́ta,a white granite sculpture of three Lagos white-cap chiefs is not just a mere
Our editors have selected the following works and writers for the 2023 Best of a Shallow Year:
Poetry | Junaid Ahmed Ahangar (
@AmbivalentRants
)
Fiction | Rutendo Chidzodzo (
@rutendocc
)
Essay | Muti’ah Badruddeen (
@deenprogress
)
If you are a Nigerian writer & haven't started followed this scripted OT from our satire king, you still dey play.🤭
📷: Elanathan John, Be(com)ing Nigerian
A friend told me almost a year ago... Been donning it the right way since then.
However, I noticed something. In the movie 'Ṣaworoidẹ', Peter Fatomilola told Kunle Afolayan( Àyàngalulú son, who was a bachelor) and I quote:
"Òtún làá tẹ ṣi"when he was dressing up for an event.
The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta. I was like, how could one endure so much maternal suffering and yet lose in the end? Nnu Ego is a tragic character.
Welcome to Nigeria, where once you take your phone/device to the engineer, that marks the genesis of other technical, electrical and spiritual faults for that phone/device.
Isn't it beautiful how Allah gives us new beginnings despite our shortcomings?
Alhamdullilah ala kuli hal for this one. Will uphold this new chance to be a better Muslim, creative, and professional Bi Idnillah.
3. Omenana Speculative Magazine
Founded in 2014 by two spec fiction writers Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu and Chinelo Onwualu, Omenana publishes all genres in science fiction for lovers of this genre.
Read thier latest issue here:
Masha Allah Tabarakalah!
I testify to this too. A day before my final sophomore papers, my phone was stolen and the study materials for the two courses I was to sit for (fairly unprepared) were in it.
My head nearly blew that day as I sat for both papers in a daze.
Just out here to say tahajjud works. Wrote an exam I completely had no hope of passing. There was no single question I could answer completely. Kept including it in my dua during tahajjud. Results came out & it was a B. Not even a C. This is 1 out of my many tahajjud testimonies