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,…
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…
Title: A Gecko’s Farewell Author: Maik Nwosu Length: 256 pages Genre: Fiction, Speculative Fiction, African Literature. Publisher/Year: Parresia Publishers Ltd/2016 Rating: 4.8/5 Reviewer: Obinna Udenwe Writers who hope to make their mark must continually re-invent themselves and their craft. A great book must hold the reader captive with its narrative and descriptive powers – its plot must leave strong images in the reader’s mind, long after closing the book. These are…
Ibe Ekuma is a self-taught artist with a love of the surreal. She’s about the take the art world by storm. But first, a journey through Nigerian folklore, finding joy and Afrofuturism with Ngum Ngafor. The human body is your muse. Why? I am inspired mostly by the different expressions we make. I love how the body has its own way of communication. You know, facial expressions, smiles, staring eyes, eyes looking into space and so on. And I…
In this poem, Richard Inya bemoans the piteous fate of pensioners – men and women who spend their years working to better the society only to be treated like worthless beings at old age. An armed revolution Rages against quietness In the belly of starving retirees Their intestines are trapped snakes Struggling to break loose Ever seen they that chew silence And swallow air? Pity is a bucketful of a minute silence Harvested from…
It is sixty years since 1958, when Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was first published. The Village Square Journal will be joining the rest of the world to mark the novel’s anniversary. We are seeking to publish six outstanding and brilliantly articulated essays, one every week for six weeks, starting in May 2018, that border on or/and address the following issues as well as related themes, as we countdown to the actual date of publication. The…