Kovie Biakolo

journalist/writer/distinguished lecturer, arts+culture. unhyphenated Nigerian (except at passport control). in many places (except for here). pre-order my book!

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

All I want for my birthday is for you to pre-order my debut book, ‘We Made the World.’ https://t.co/ggz5xNz6Ik

[Ivie Ani @ivieani]

From the office of Mayor Mamdani, his response to the horrific killing of Bronx teen, Javits Frimpong:

“If you are seeing a 15-year-old child being gunned down, gun violence in the city, it means that there's so much more work to be done. 

And I think, just on the other level, this is a devastation that doesn't just live with this family. It devastates a community. This child was only here for a year. It devastates a diaspora; it devastates an entire neighborhood. So we've also deployed mobile trauma assistance to the neighborhood and are looking to put as many services as we can to help those who are dealing with their grief have someone who can speak to them.”

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

A way to help Javits family here. Another way is to consider the weight of your words and contributions to narratives when so many details of this tragedy are still unknown.
https://t.co/wMqxiM3xZA

[The Conversationalist @Convo_ist]

📢 You can now pre-order our contributing editor's brilliant debut book, out March 2027! ✨📚

https://t.co/EGQvv4HlOi

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Sunday read to soothe your soul/a recent favorite piece I’ve edited — on the survivors and activists behind South Korea’s first national war memorial for civilians @Convo_ist https://t.co/RYt1oQwUvY

[Simba Kundizeza @S_S_Kundizeza]

https://t.co/k3BlqHf1Mo

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Irresponsible journalism wrapped up in anti-African/black antagonisms. So bad we might actually have to develop a new “how to write about Africa in the AI age” à la Wainaina. Also, I need to see the author’s library. How much do they actually engage with African literary culture?

[The Atlantic @TheAtlantic]

Exclusive: Another prestigious award has gone to a writer who seems to have used AI as the crisis of trust in the literary world intensifies, @vauhinivara reports: https://t.co/UBJcQ7KIPw

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

The opening of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) was interrupted by protesters last year. Even before, its announcement collided w/ reconciling precolonial history w/ postcolonial nations, art and culture preservation, and money. I wrote about it all. https://t.co/RU98K4dBgB

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

HELLO, back like I never left to shamelessly let you know that the arts and culture students at @newmarkjschool have started a Substack called ‘Cultural Issues’ and our first issue is out! https://t.co/bv33GW1f7h; Read, Subscribe, Share, etc. 🎉

[The Conversationalist @Convo_ist]

We asked women working across different fields, countries, and cultural backgrounds a simple set of questions: What does community mean to you?

Here's what they said. Story by @koviebiakolo and Lorelei Kelly share.
https://t.co/wXeiqu1p0A

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Some of us have real (🇳🇬) football heritage. We’ve BEEN hating Argentina since childhood, Aug. ‘96 to be exact. Happy 30th anniversary to all who know ball.

[sara yasin @sarayasin]

I've interviewed 20+ journalists about their experiences in mainstream newsrooms since the start of the genocide, but I'm looking to speak to at least that many more in the coming weeks. If you'd like to talk, email me on [email protected]

[sara yasin @sarayasin]

Issue 009 is here! We have an in-depth look at pro-Israel support in Nigeria from one of my favorite journalists and former colleagues, @koviebiakolo
https://t.co/hMMtNN0bQa

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

They let me write about Nigeria’s “potential” (and why I am tired of hearing about it), and art. https://t.co/RwfZrM9ROu

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Tbh, some of the most cultural pan-Africanism (south of the Sahara, it is what it is) you’ll typically witness, is during the World Cup. So, the fact that other African nations are expressly rooting against SA sends a clear message.

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Btw, I hosted this week’s @Convo_ist pod episode on aunties. Given maybe too many conversation pitting parents against child-free folks, I enjoyed how one of my guests framed auntying as a “child-full” option for non-parents. Take a listen for more.

https://t.co/nIiqXbtcFo

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Been getting so much mileage from this meme the last three years. UK, over to you.

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

Drive-by for book PR: if you have a book coming out May-Aug that you’d like @Convo_ist to consider for review, esp. for our book of the month series, please get me a hard copy ASAP. (My email is not hard to find at all.)

[The Conversationalist @Convo_ist]

April Book of the Month 📚: “On Eating” by Alicia Kennedy

The writer’s new memoir is a feast, exploring how food can be both deeply personal and impacted by forces much larger than ourselves. Read the full review ➡️ https://t.co/QwulOVSY1h

[Kovie Biakolo @koviebiakolo]

I heard millennial and gen z women were arguing about sex and feminism not too long ago. Might I suggest Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah’s second book, Seeking Sexual Freedom. Receny talked to her about it for @EBONY https://t.co/KUPVctVAYC