Author: Tobi Oguntola
Tobi is a writer. He writes about a variety of topics from music and movies to marketing and technology. He dreams of becoming a renowned novelist on the level of J. R. R. Tolkien and G. R. R. Martins, and has written a sum total of 10 words towards the fulfilment of that dream. He calls the brown-roofed city of Ibadan home but loves traveling and visiting new places. He also loves gaming, chatting, reading, and day-dreaming.
Tsoo Boi: An Anthology of Protests
I never thought that being Ghanaian and living in Ghana was all the impediment needed to alienate me from my dreams.
A Girl Is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
The language is impeccable, and I totally recommend this book without any reservations and with all the gods in my village backing me.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
I have reread it for the 100th time since its release, and I still do not feel full… I very much recommend this book with all the gods in my village backing me!
An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
She carried the burden of guilt, thinking about all the things she could have done to avoid her brother’s dying, blaming herself for even starting the chain of events that led to his death.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin
They had a tradition of earning armchairs in the house. This meant that no wife had a comfortable seat. You were not entitled to one unless you were pregnant, breastfeeding, or watching over toddlers.
Lagos to London by Lola Aworanti-Ekugo
Though the book is set in Lagos and London, it’s a reality most of us can relate to from anywhere in Africa. There is something in there, an experience or anything for everybody.
In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Unfortunately for Kemi, her worst fears were confirmed. She was only a redundant body in a ceremonial role. Jonny poached Kemi for her skin color to represent diversity in a predominantly white company. It wasn’t for her brilliance; neither was it for her experience. It was for her skin color.
Wahala by Nikki May
I haven’t lived in London before, but I’m not sure that Africans in London who are almost working-class or working-class by association can afford to eat from the buka every week and also afford takeouts as huge as what Ronke always did.
Night Dancer by Chika Unigwe
A man sleeps with the maid and impregnates her, deceives the wife he claims to love, and this same wife, Ezi, is required to apologize to the husband because she has only a daughter for him while the maid has a son.
Daughters Who Walk This Path by Yejide Kilanko
Why did I have to carry this shame like a second skin? And every day for a month after the incident, I would usually find myself whispering to myself, “I am ruined.”
The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
As an African woman, I have lived in shame, and shame has lived in me. I told myself I was keeping my virginity for my husband. I needed to be a virtuous woman to be appreciated, I did not know what virtue meant, and honestly, I still don’t.
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
Niru is gay and cannot freely explore his queerness. Although he is in a country like America, the Africanness and religiosity in his parents would not let them support him. Rather they take him to pastors to pray the gay out of him.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
We assume that people are either gay or lesbians, forgetting that the queer spectrum is broad and there are so many intersections. The rainbow has so many different colors, not just red and yellow.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
It reminds me of a young man who once promised forever. He had been so consistent and intense in his promises of forever that I believed it, latched onto it, breathed it, and looked forward to it.
