Shallom Paul
I'm a budding writer, avid reader, practicing Sound Engineer and a trained Criminologist.
Kaduna, Nigeria
Published works
11 pieces
Reading A Man of the People Against the Fall of the First Nigerian Republic
In A Man of the People, Chinua Achebe dissects the culture of patronage, corruption, and political spectacle that defined the First Nigerian Republic, a system whose internal contradictions would soon erupt in the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état.
4/15/2026 · 9 min
Arọ̀ni the Forest Spirit and Mythical Guardian of the Environment
Arọ̀ni stands out as a mysterious spirit of the forest who embodies the threshold between the human and the non-human. He dwells deep in sacred groves (igbo mímọ́), guiding humans who show reverence and punishing those who desecrate the land.
10/24/2025 · 6 min
Women in Akan Society
Women are prominent in the most important aspects of life in Akan Society. Explore how decisions in defense, trade, politics and familial matters are determined by women.
10/8/2025 · 7 min
Chisungu: Initiation Rites of the Bemba People
The Chisungu initiation rite among the Bemba of Zambia is a structured process that guides girls into adulthood. Through education, discipline, and ritual, it shapes identity and prepares them for their roles within the community.
8/21/2025 · 6 min
Hausa Power Objects
Among the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, physical objects such as charms, amulets, and ritual instruments are not merely symbolic—they are believed to contain or attract spiritual forces.
7/5/2025 · 4 min
Ancestral Power and Spiritual Survival in Sinners
The film Sinners (2025) explores the relationship between African diaspora spirituality, ancestral presence, and African traditional religions. It examines how these elements intersect, reflect, and reinterpret indigenous African belief systems in contemporary contexts.
7/5/2025 · 5 min
Kulafa: Marriage by Betrothal
For the Babur, marriage is planned right at the birth of the bride. Like an investment, it is nurtured and watched carefully untill the celebration of they union.
2/26/2025 · 4 min
Ngorda: The Most Elegant Dance
Ngorda dance is the signature dance of the Terawa people of Gombe State, Nigeria.
1/21/2025 · 4 min
Tales of the Rimi
The Rimi, a tree that houses spirits?
11/13/2024 · 4 min
A' Ko: Gbagyi Ancestral Gods
A'ko is an ancestral spirit, venerated as a god by the Gbagyi people. Gbagyi is one among the many ethnic groups that are domiciled in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, spilled within the North Central States of Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa as well as Abuja, the nation's capital and also in the Northwestern State of Kaduna.
8/5/2024 · 5 min
Sarkin Ruwa: Mouth of the Marine Spirits
Northern Nigeria before the advent of Islam practiced some form of animism, called Maguzanci or Bori. The belief is such that spirits exist among us and the practice of adorcism, which involves the traditions of music, dance, and other ritualistic practices that will invoke these spirits and cause them to possess persons. Spirits are invoked to possess people with the belief that they grant healing, fertility, strength, foresight, invincibility, knowledge, and understanding, among other supernatural gifts.
6/29/2024 · 6 min