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Take a seat, you are now in the village square. Enjoy!
Thawing Colonial Blocs – Reminiscing PaGya 2019

Lately, numerous festivals have been held across the African continent. With this increase in the number of literary festivals, authors, readers, and other members of the literary community are more curious about and interested in such gatherings.  Are you planning or considering attending a literary festival in Africa? One of our editors, Amara Chimeka, attended the recently-concluded PaGya Literary Festival in Accra, hosted by the Writers’ Project of Ghana, and sampled opinions from your favourite African literati. They all aver…

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Rotshang by Bizuum Yadok

A lie begets a lie, and even half-truths do not endure the test of time. Nonetheless, some lies are so cosy that you would never want to spare a quarter of an ear to entertain alternative versions of them. If love marries a lie, their union would produce anything but peace. But I had peace. I raised my head to take a swift break from the game I was playing on my Nokia 3310. According to Dr Jot’s jokes,…

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“Our hybridity is one of our biggest advantages.” Su’eddie Agema

  A book festival in Makurdi? In these days of Boko Haram and insecurity? Jeez! You’ve got guts. This is our first reaction, though it is almost immediately replaced by awe, when we see the Instagram post announcing the inaugural Benue Book and Arts Festival. However, like the toad that does not run in the daytime for nothing, we dare the odds and end up having a refreshing time, learning and unlearning from and with other literature and culture…

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Press Release – The Launch of The Village Square Journal

Hello World! We are pleased to welcome you to The Village Square Journal. A village square is more than just a venue, it is a catalyst of sorts for the arts, and all forms of its expression. The Village Square Journal seeks to be a hub where play and artistic display come together to thrill and thrive, as well a compendium of sorts for culture preservation. It looks forward to being a fulcrum of the promotion and appreciation of all…

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Crooked Seeds By Karen Jennings

  An Excerpt From a Novel-in-Progress She woke with the thirst already upon her, still in her clothes, cold from having slept on top of the covers. Two days, three, since she had last changed, the smell of her murky with sweat, fried food, cigarettes. Her underwear’s stink strong enough that it reached her even before moving to squat over an old plastic mixing bowl that lived beside the bed. She steadied her weight on the bedstead with one…

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The Revolution is a Woman by Toni Stuart

A collective poem compiled and written by Toni Stuart at the 4th African Feminist Forum, 10th – 12th April, 2016 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The poem uses words, phrases, ideas and thoughts shared by the women throughout the forum.   the revolution is a woman a black, queer, radical, Azania House-occupying, sjambok-wielding Tahir square-protesting raised fist   pumping, bashing, smashing, tearing down Patrick’s invisible walls   the revolution is a woman a hijab-wearing veil-discarding, veil-reclaiming church-going, silent-praying, God-denying voice  …

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CONVERSATION: SQUARING UP TO THE TEMZ REVIEW

      Aaron Schneider & Amy Mitchell are founding editors of The Temz Review.  Living in London, Ontario, Canada, they have published great literary works including our founding editor, Obinna Udenwe’s story ‘All Good Things Come to an End.’ The Village Square’s editors Obinna Udenwe and Ngum Ngafor take notes from Amy & Aaron on how to run a cool lit space. The Village Square: Tell us, what motivated you to start The Temz Review? The Temz Review:…

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