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Take a seat, you are now in the village square. Enjoy!
Obinna Udenwe shortlisted for the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature

The Co-founder of The Village Square Journal, Obinna Udenwe has been shortlisted for the NLNG sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature alongside 10 others. The first shortlist which was announced on Sunday, July 4th 2021 by the Advisory Board of the Prize has eleven books in contention. Obinna Udenwe is shortlisted for his latest book, Colours of Hatred – a novel about the Egbufor family and their journey traversing through the turbulent sea of life. The book tells of this…

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Nigerians Deserve Themselves – Onyeka Nwelue

As part of the general idea to bridge the gap created by the global pandemic, Covid19, the British Council Literature came up with the ‘British Council International Digital Collaboration Project’ to connect artists across countries.  Our project titled #Wahalaconvo run by the Nigerian writer, Obinna Udenwe, and the British–Nigerian author, Peter Kalu, working with other artists in both Nigerian and the UK, has looked at the Covid19 pandemic, #EndSARS and #BlackLivesMatter, and how they have shaped our lives not…

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Nwa m nọ Amerịka (A Mother’s Prayer for Her American son)

In the second part of the British Council Literature sponsored International Digital Collaboration Project involving Obinna Udenwe and Peter Kalu, Nigerian short story writer and poet, Iquo DianaAbasi pens a thought-provoking poem against the background of police brutality and racial killings in the United States. Nwa m nọ n’ Amerika, May you not fall victim; Shot in your grandma’s backyard, Your phone mistaken for a gun. May no obituary bear your name, After an officer feared for her life…

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Breathing

A poem by the British novelist and playwright, Peter Kalu for the British Council International Digital Collaboration Project in partnership with the Nigerian author and short story writer, Obinna Udenwe Please don’t come sliding onto my bench whispering nirvana is a construct and you’re here for us to do the construction  play by play to reach high, because That don’t fly for me, I need somebody grounded. There are journeys we have to go on and it won’t be…

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Letter to Peter Kalu – endSARS/BLM

On the 6th of February 2021, British novelist and playwright, Peter Kalu wrote our founding editor, Obinna Udenwe an engaging letter on the Black Lives Mater/End SARS protests that rocked both the UK and Nigeria in unimaginable ways. His response to Pete on the 7th of February 2021 has been published below. You can read Peter’s letter here. Letter from Abakaliki, Nigeria: End SARS Protest Hi Pete, I am delighted and pleased to receive your letter, more so, because…

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Snow by Dermot O’ Sullivan

Vultures skulked overhead. Their sharp skulls bludgeoned back into their hunched shoulders, black eyes flickering greedily over the poolside terrace, watching Francisco’s daughter as she stumbled from bust-in deckchair to mould-ridden bench and back, carrying with her – with intense concentration – the plastic spoons and forks and mugs that Francisco had taken from the kitchen earlier that day for the visit, not wishing to risk that someone may be using them by the time little Luciana would arrive….

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