Nuances: On choice and Servitude
My grandfather was the head of masquerades in Ivianokpodi of Agenebode, Etsako East, in Edo State. He was a happy man. He spoke English, and I often wondered how he learned the language, especially as…
Ogbechia Victoria
Hello! I am a nonfiction essayist and this is a small glimpse into what goes on in my mind, observations, thoughts, stories, and everything in between.
17 essays published
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Published Essays
Hijabi
I understood what conviction in faith looked like the day Ummu refused to lift her niqab at gunpoint. I was eleven years old. We had just finished walking through the bustling streets of Obio/Akpor Ma…
Night Shift
The mosquitoes in the clinic that particular night were built different. Their persistent buzz and relentless attempts to attach their little pipes to my skin were driving me mad. I was tired of being…
Dearest Fauziyya
Every morning for the six months since my family moved into a two-storey apartment in Samaru, I would look out the window of my room and see a woman frying masa. By the time I was dressed for school i…
A holy blindness
I woke up to the call for Subhi. I immediately performed my ablution and jogged to the mosque opposite Mallam Bilyamin's ungwa for congregational prayer. With my forehead pressed to the mat, I asked…
The infidel's tear
“Go away!” “Dan Allah mallama, ina ji yunwa,” I said, emphasizing my hunger and need for help, no matter how small. “Don't bother me, Dan iska. Abi na me born you? All these useless Almajiri,” she…
A Borrowed Fate
As I crouched behind the rusted kiosk, lost in my thoughts and trying to understand what my mind was playing at, a sharp pain at the back of my head pulled me out of my reverie. I turned around. One o…
Always Left Behind
Oghenekaro left without a word. Without my consent. That Friday morning, it was raining; it was cold. The universe was aware. The roads anticipated his coming. Travel… He dressed, ready to hi…
Between My Thought and Her Time
I am a questioning woman in a world that celebrates certainty. In my search for answers, I found not just history, but a reflection of my own thoughts in another time.
Let's Talk About the Devil.... and Us
One chose pride and never returned… the other kept falling, yet still found restoration. So what really separates them?
The Enemy's Point of View
Tradition gave me permission, and I let cruelty play, testing family and watching them endure.
