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Nigeria

March 25, 2025

Dream Count, Reviewed: A Great Novelist’s Chronicle of Vulnerabilities

Coming 12 years after her third novel Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s vital, splintered return to longform fiction shows classes of womanhood. It demonstrates yet again her elegant, unmatched grasp of language. In some ways, it is also different from her previous novels.
Paula Willie-Okafor
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Nigerian edition cover by Narrative Landscape Press

March 18, 2025

The 10 Best Films & TV Series of 2024

From historical dramas to thrillers, our second annual list of Nollywood films and series that demonstrate coherence, vision, ambition, or consciousness.
Otosirieze
Open Country Mag's 10 Best Nollywood Films and TV Series of 2024. Credit: Temidayo Makanjuola, A NIGHT IN 2005, 2024, Prime Video.

March 15, 2025

A Night in 2005, Reviewed: A Brilliant Revenge & Social Thriller

Temidayo Makanjuola’s smartly cast action drama — with Ini Dinma Okojie and Doris Uzoamaka Aniunoh shining — is calibrated to today’s social media climate without ceding artistic integrity to it.
Otosirieze
A Night in 2005 film poster

March 15, 2025

Roses and Ivy, Reviewed: Sisters Asunder

The rotating narration maintains an emotional scaffold in Bidoun Stephen’s drama of childlessness, but the limited series stutters with plot inconsistencies.
Otosirieze
Roses and Ivy TV poster

March 15, 2025

A Green Fever, Reviewed: Mystery Man in the House

Taiwo Egunjobi’s direction keeps this thriller open-ended, and his visual style is solid.
Otosirieze
A Green Fever film poster

March 15, 2025

With Difficulty Comes Ease, Reviewed: The Hard Life of a Muslim Igbo Widow

Akorede Azeez’s portrait of grief in tough times is grounded by a career-best turn from Doris Uzoamaka Aniunoh.
Otosirieze
With Difficulty Comes Ease film poster

March 15, 2025

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Reviewed: Uneven Dues for a Legend

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ biopic of the great activist is almost redeemed by a few scenes and a split in chronology.
Otosirieze
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

February 27, 2025

The Rovingheights Bestseller List 2024: Presented with Open Country Mag

Releasing the third annual compilation of the only bestseller list in Nigerian literature: comprising the Top 100 books of the year, alongside the Top 50 in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, self-published, and children’s books.
Otosirieze
The Rovingheights x Open Country Mag Bestseller List 2024

February 8, 2025

SBMEN Announces Editorial Practice & Project Management Course in February 2025

Society for Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN)

February 4, 2025

JK Anowe, a Confessional Poet, Confronts Himself

Working from fragments, the reclusive poet led a wave of young Nigerian voices situating the self and mental states. Now his “schizo poetry” is evolving, drawing from Igbo cosmology.
Iheoma Uzomba
JK Anowe by Amina Khan

January 10, 2025

The Nigerian Edition Cover of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count

Narrative Landscape Press
The Nigerian Edition Cover of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count

January 9, 2025

In the Lives of Three Couples, a Vision for Queer Love

The documentary This Is Love shows Nigerians who “live beautiful love stories in a place where the love they share is taboo.” After a Best LGBT Feature win at Brazil’s Bahia Independent Cinema Festival, director and co-producer Victor Ugoo knows that “distribution seems to be the hardest part of filmmaking.”
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu
One of the couples featured in This Is Love. The documentary "would have been entirely different if we weren’t concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ laws."

December 9, 2024

A Small Indie Producer Bets on Social Justice Cinema

Godwin Harrison’s “advocacy-led” HUG Media Concept is “about using cinema to address issues.” His new film Ima’mi is based on his life as an Efik prince who was outed as gay.
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu
Godwin Harrison (in black) on set

December 6, 2024

The Prodigious Arrival of Arinze Ifeakandu

In an era of unearned hype, the novelistic short stories of God’s Children Are Little Broken Things established him as a major talent, earning him the Dylan Thomas Prize. But as potent as fiction is in combating queer erasure, he believes in the supplement of living openly.
Paula Willie-Okafor
Arinze Ifeakandu for Open Country Mag

December 5, 2024

With the S16 Film Festival, an Arthouse Collective Locks Its Focus

A trio of young filmmakers banded together as the Surreal16 Collective, to resist Nollywood clichés. At their festival, Michael Omonua, C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, and Abba T. Makama curate a haven for unorthodox filmmakers.
Michael Aromolaran
Rungano Nyoni's Canne selection On Becoming a Guinea Fowl will open the 2024 Surreal16 Festival.

November 25, 2024

A Navy Pilot Pivoted to Writing, Spurred by Surrealists

While flying military helicopters, Umar Abubakar Sidi wrote the two top-selling poetry books in Nigeria. Now he has a novel. One day, he will write about military life: “It is a reality I cannot escape.”
Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera
Umar Abubakar Sidi's two collections were the Nos. 1 and 2 bestselling poetry books in Nigeria.

November 17, 2024

4 Films Arriving at the End of 2024

A franchise entry from Funke Akindele, another Yoruba historical feature by Femi Adebayo, a supernatural thriller starring Stan Nze, and a romantic flick with Shaffy Bello.
Paula Willie-Okafor
Seven Doors film poster

November 15, 2024

Abi Daré Claims Her Space

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice and And So I Roar on her writing process.
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu
Abi Dare. Supplied.

August 19, 2024

House of Ga’a, Reviewed: The Fall of an Oyo Empire Kingmaker

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ meaty biopic and historical epic about Bashorun Ga’a succeeds in keeping audiences perched on the edge of their seats, aided by good production and Femi Branch’s charisma.
Paula Willie-Okafor

August 19, 2024

Breath of Life, Reviewed: Faith, Redemption, & Male Friendship

A story with significant potential, BB Sasore’s AMVCAs-winning film succeeds in positioning the lives of these two men separated by class, religion, and belief systems, even as it fails to probe the depths of their characters.
Iheoma Uzomba
Breath of Life

March 25, 2025

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Nigerian edition cover by Narrative Landscape Press

Dream Count, Reviewed: A Great Novelist’s Chronicle of Vulnerabilities

Coming 12 years after her third novel Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s vital, splintered return to longform fiction shows classes of womanhood. It demonstrates yet again her elegant, unmatched grasp of language. In some ways, it is also different from her previous novels.
Paula Willie-Okafor

March 18, 2025

Open Country Mag's 10 Best Nollywood Films and TV Series of 2024. Credit: Temidayo Makanjuola, A NIGHT IN 2005, 2024, Prime Video.

The 10 Best Films & TV Series of 2024

From historical dramas to thrillers, our second annual list of Nollywood films and series that demonstrate coherence, vision, ambition, or consciousness.
Otosirieze

March 15, 2025

A Night in 2005 film poster

A Night in 2005, Reviewed: A Brilliant Revenge & Social Thriller

Temidayo Makanjuola’s smartly cast action drama — with Ini Dinma Okojie and Doris Uzoamaka Aniunoh shining — is calibrated to today’s social media climate without ceding artistic integrity to it.
Otosirieze

March 15, 2025

Roses and Ivy TV poster

Roses and Ivy, Reviewed: Sisters Asunder

The rotating narration maintains an emotional scaffold in Bidoun Stephen’s drama of childlessness, but the limited series stutters with plot inconsistencies.
Otosirieze

March 15, 2025

A Green Fever film poster

A Green Fever, Reviewed: Mystery Man in the House

Taiwo Egunjobi’s direction keeps this thriller open-ended, and his visual style is solid.
Otosirieze

March 15, 2025

With Difficulty Comes Ease film poster

With Difficulty Comes Ease, Reviewed: The Hard Life of a Muslim Igbo Widow

Akorede Azeez’s portrait of grief in tough times is grounded by a career-best turn from Doris Uzoamaka Aniunoh.
Otosirieze

March 15, 2025

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Reviewed: Uneven Dues for a Legend

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ biopic of the great activist is almost redeemed by a few scenes and a split in chronology.
Otosirieze

February 27, 2025

The Rovingheights x Open Country Mag Bestseller List 2024

The Rovingheights Bestseller List 2024: Presented with Open Country Mag

Releasing the third annual compilation of the only bestseller list in Nigerian literature: comprising the Top 100 books of the year, alongside the Top 50 in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, self-published, and children’s books.
Otosirieze

February 8, 2025

SBMEN Announces Editorial Practice & Project Management Course in February 2025

Society for Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN)

February 4, 2025

JK Anowe by Amina Khan

JK Anowe, a Confessional Poet, Confronts Himself

Working from fragments, the reclusive poet led a wave of young Nigerian voices situating the self and mental states. Now his “schizo poetry” is evolving, drawing from Igbo cosmology.
Iheoma Uzomba

January 10, 2025

The Nigerian Edition Cover of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count

The Nigerian Edition Cover of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count

Narrative Landscape Press

January 9, 2025

One of the couples featured in This Is Love. The documentary "would have been entirely different if we weren’t concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ laws."

In the Lives of Three Couples, a Vision for Queer Love

The documentary This Is Love shows Nigerians who “live beautiful love stories in a place where the love they share is taboo.” After a Best LGBT Feature win at Brazil’s Bahia Independent Cinema Festival, director and co-producer Victor Ugoo knows that “distribution seems to be the hardest part of filmmaking.”
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu

December 9, 2024

Godwin Harrison (in black) on set

A Small Indie Producer Bets on Social Justice Cinema

Godwin Harrison’s “advocacy-led” HUG Media Concept is “about using cinema to address issues.” His new film Ima’mi is based on his life as an Efik prince who was outed as gay.
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu

December 6, 2024

Arinze Ifeakandu for Open Country Mag

The Prodigious Arrival of Arinze Ifeakandu

In an era of unearned hype, the novelistic short stories of God’s Children Are Little Broken Things established him as a major talent, earning him the Dylan Thomas Prize. But as potent as fiction is in combating queer erasure, he believes in the supplement of living openly.
Paula Willie-Okafor

December 5, 2024

Rungano Nyoni's Canne selection On Becoming a Guinea Fowl will open the 2024 Surreal16 Festival.

With the S16 Film Festival, an Arthouse Collective Locks Its Focus

A trio of young filmmakers banded together as the Surreal16 Collective, to resist Nollywood clichés. At their festival, Michael Omonua, C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, and Abba T. Makama curate a haven for unorthodox filmmakers.
Michael Aromolaran

November 25, 2024

Umar Abubakar Sidi's two collections were the Nos. 1 and 2 bestselling poetry books in Nigeria.

A Navy Pilot Pivoted to Writing, Spurred by Surrealists

While flying military helicopters, Umar Abubakar Sidi wrote the two top-selling poetry books in Nigeria. Now he has a novel. One day, he will write about military life: “It is a reality I cannot escape.”
Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera

November 17, 2024

Seven Doors film poster

4 Films Arriving at the End of 2024

A franchise entry from Funke Akindele, another Yoruba historical feature by Femi Adebayo, a supernatural thriller starring Stan Nze, and a romantic flick with Shaffy Bello.
Paula Willie-Okafor

November 15, 2024

Abi Dare. Supplied.

Abi Daré Claims Her Space

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice and And So I Roar on her writing process.
Orji Victor Ebubechukwu

August 19, 2024

House of Ga’a, Reviewed: The Fall of an Oyo Empire Kingmaker

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ meaty biopic and historical epic about Bashorun Ga’a succeeds in keeping audiences perched on the edge of their seats, aided by good production and Femi Branch’s charisma.
Paula Willie-Okafor

August 19, 2024

Breath of Life

Breath of Life, Reviewed: Faith, Redemption, & Male Friendship

A story with significant potential, BB Sasore’s AMVCAs-winning film succeeds in positioning the lives of these two men separated by class, religion, and belief systems, even as it fails to probe the depths of their characters.
Iheoma Uzomba

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