Latest articles
All articles →Eight Ways a Dead Twin Becomes a Bird in Ga Ritual
When a Ga twin dies, the story does not end with burial.
By Benjamin neil Ibrahim· 5 min read
Coming Home Through Gborodigondi
A viral TikTok clip of a twenty-year-old Nsukka music video pulls a childhood memory back into focus
By Nneoma Sally· 7 min read
The Literal Voice of the Oja
A flute I dismissed as too archaic to notice stopped me mid-stride on an NYSC parade ground
By Nneoma Sally· 6 min read
Tales of An Ashanti Father
A British Chancellor's granddaughter marries into Ashanti aristocracy, and spends fifty years in Kumasi writing down spider stories for children
By Inumidun Seyiolapade· 12 min read
Trade, Totems and the Invention of Isi-Agu
How the Igbo transformed a Victorian trade commodity into the Isi-Agu
By Somtochukwu Udeozo· 6 min read
Asase Yaa and the Living Earth: The Akan Earth Goddess and the Ethics of the Ground
On Thursdays in traditional Akan communities, farmers do not work the soil. The day belongs to Asase Yaa and on her day the ground rests, protected from the hoe by the same principle that leads the Akan to set aside time for acknowledging the sacred in what sustains life.
By Isreal Jeremiah· 6 min read
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From the Oriire Codex
Open the codex →From the podcast
All episodes →Kayanmata - Myth or Fact?
Kayanmata is the Hausa set of practices tied to femininity and to the way women hold power inside marriage. Mojisola joins this episode to talk about the practice and why it continues to provoke debate.
The Ishi Tradition
In Delta State, there is a marital tradition that forbids a married woman from sleeping with anyone other than her husband, with severe spiritual consequences for breaking it. Anthonia joins this episode to talk about Ishi and how it continues to be practiced among the Aniomas, Isokos, and Urhobos.
Igbo Delicacies and Cuisines
Igbo cuisine is built around its soups, and there are more of them than people outside the region usually realise. This episode walks through the staples one by one.
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