OPEN COUNTRY MAG

Essential, in-depth stories contextualizing African literature, Nigerian film, and culture. Publisher of @folionigeria. Founder: @otosirieze.

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

How Wole Soyinka Inherited the Drama of the Gods — and Shadowed the Nigerian Tragedy

Since the 1950s, the Nobel laureate has worked in rebellion, carving out a complex, fecund torque of an oeuvre. But as his plays of mythic vigor and Yoruba impulse revitalized Anglophone theatre, raising an art form to ritualistic heights, his force of personality kept him in the political arena, a close witness of an African affliction. Few artists have lived like him. Yet at 91, carrying the mantle of “greatest living writer,” he has one more great battle on his hands — with generations who once deified him.

https://t.co/MmfBGVeAbI

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

LIPFest Craft and Development Lab (@LagosPoetryFest), a new four month virtual development program for poets, spoken word artists, and writers from Nigeria and the African diaspora opens call for submission.

The Lab builds on the Lagos International Poetry Festival’s long standing commitment to nurturing literary talent and supporting the development of ambitious contemporary African writing and performance practices. Cohort 1 will feature facilitation and mentorship from Romeo Oriogun, Titilope Sonuga, and Nick Makoha.

Applications are currently open and close on Friday, 3 July 2026.

#opportunity #lipfest #africanliterature

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Behind Funke Akindele’s 7.2-billion-naira box office dominance is Valentine Chukwuma, her top editor at Scene One Productions. In an industry that overlooks underdog talents, the 31-year-old, who once made skits to escape poverty, has cut five of its six most profitable films of all-time.

https://t.co/VnSWURpql3

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

The Nigerian social critic riled up online controversies through blunt, unsparing commentary on African literature, politics, and establishment culture. His style has been criticized as abrasive, dismissive, and even unfair. But, in his persistent alarm, he foresaw a moral decay.

https://t.co/LeoRNhmoe0

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

The Gbagyi are an ethnic minority in Nigeria’s vastly diverse Northern Central region, with scant representation in mainstream arts and literature. With Before the Mango Ripens, a historical novel set during a 1970s Christian tussle, an emigrant daughter shares an untold chapter.

https://t.co/Mvov7Tn06g

[ORENIMI @theorenimi]

@OpenCountryMag @Tai_Egunjobi That’s my GOAT.

[Taiwo O Egunjobi @Tai_Egunjobi]

@thesomoyeolaifa @OpenCountryMag Great writing

[Big.Feran @thesomoyeolaifa]

@OpenCountryMag @Tai_Egunjobi I totally enjoyed myself, reading this.

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Saraba Magazine (@Sarabamag) is seeking previously published work for its Revival Project and unpublished work for its general submission category.

The Revival Project is a multi-phase archival and editorial initiative aimed at reclaiming, digitising, and celebrating significant African writing currently inaccessible to the modern digital reader.

For this, the magazine wants previously published work (fiction, poetry, and nonfiction) that is currently inaccessible online. They are interested in the “hidden” gems: the essay from a 2009 print-only magazine issue, the short story tucked behind the paywall of a reputable literary journal, or the poem from a magazine that has since folded.
The deadline to submit your work for this category is 31 August 2026.

General Submission
For our general submission, send your unpublished work in any of the magazine’s broad categories: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The maximum word count for prose is 5,000

The deadline to submit your work for this category is 30 June 2026.

For detailed submission guidelines, visit: https://t.co/k4ZzYTEXjp

#AfricanLiterature #Opportunitiesforwriters #SarabaMagazine

[Taiwo O Egunjobi @Tai_Egunjobi]

♥️

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Egunjobi’s (@Tai_Egunjobi) father was a professor of botany who once co-owned a cinema house in the ‘70s, in Ibadan, with a Lebanese businessman. He was a reader and raised his son — who was born in Nairobi, Kenya — on Yoruba folktales and Greek myths, on the pages of Harlequin romances and Tell. Books became young Egunjobi’s first fascination. Cinema came later, as revelation.

https://t.co/oix1reV6ER

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Wole Soyinka has some advice for young
writers: “Prepare to collect your rejection slips.”

Here, Soyinka reminds writers that the rejection is part and parcel of the life of an artist. He suggests that the long, often tortuous process of writing, revising, submitting, “shoving rejection slips in the cupboard,” regrouping, and writing again is what ultimately builds a writer's resilience and momentum.

Video credit: Louisiana Channel’s (@LouisianaChann) “Advice to the Young” on YouTube
Cut by: Writer’s Coven

#quote #reel #viral #africanliterature #wolesoyinka

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

“This Motherless Land” by Nikki May (@NikkiOMay), Reviewed: A Mixed-Race Woman Seeks Belonging

Entertaining and heart-wrenching, Nikki May’s sophomore novel is most fun when she draws parallels between Nigeria and England, with punchily rendered bits of cultural insight.

https://t.co/i1aGWQQC5m

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

“I needed to write something that takes advantage of the rich nuances in my own culture,” said the Graywolf Press Africa Prize-winning author of “The House of Rust.”

https://t.co/AWuIqOmTVV

[Ụmụnnanwezuoakụ @ChimezieChika1]

Anything about the Gbagyi.

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Behind Funke Akindele’s 7.2-billion-naira box office dominance is Valentine Chukwuma, her top editor at Scene One Productions. In an industry that overlooks underdog talents, the 31-year-old, who once made skits to escape poverty, has cut five of its six most profitable films of all-time.

https://t.co/VnSWURoSvv

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

The Nigerian social critic riled up online controversies through blunt, unsparing commentary on African literature, politics, and establishment culture. His style has been criticized as abrasive, dismissive, and even unfair. But, in his persistent alarm, he foresaw a moral decay.

https://t.co/LeoRNhmW3y

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

The Gbagyi are an ethnic minority in Nigeria’s vastly diverse Northern Central region, with scant representation in mainstream arts and literature. With Before the Mango Ripens, a historical novel set during a 1970s Christian tussle, an emigrant daughter shares an untold chapter.

https://t.co/Mvov7Tn06g

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Akorede Azeez’s (@iamkorayday) portrait of grief in tough times is grounded by a career-best turn from Uzoamaka Power (@UzoamakaPower).

https://t.co/niuPWDRnfp

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Inspired by anticolonialist feminist movements, the Nigerian performer (@lanaire_aderemi) set out to honour them in community-centered theatre. Her latest show is “Story Story.”

https://t.co/yLutW8TCmP

[OPEN COUNTRY MAG @OpenCountryMag]

Submit to the Next Generation Short Story Awards, a not-for-profit international awards program for authors of short stories and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, an international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. The prize aims to honor and celebrate the creative talents of short story authors and indie writers worldwide.

To enter visit the following links:
🔗 : https://t.co/KZgT5Xfvxe
🔗: https://t.co/QZ981Oked7

#OpenCountryMag #OpportunityforWriters #AfricanLiterature