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Lists & Recommendations

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

February 2, 2024

The 10 Best Films & TV Series of the Year

In a storied year for Nigerian cinema, our inaugural list prioritizes the realization of narrative, and these features stand out.
Otosirieze
The House of Secrets

January 26, 2024

The Anticipated Books of 2024

From Chigozie Obioma, Teju Cole, and Akwaeke Emezi to Safia Elhillo, Olumide Popoola, and Tares Oburumu: the anticipated books of 2024.
Open Country Mag
Open Country Mag: The Anticipated Books of 2024

January 16, 2024

The 10 Best Acting Performances of the Year

In a year of ensembles, in which it fell on collective performances to elevate stories, these actors stood out — among the films and TV series we saw.
Otosirieze
Blossom Chukwujekwu as a kidnap kingpin in The Trade

January 11, 2024

The 60 Notable Books of 2023

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Teju Cole, and Leila Aboulela to DK Nnuro, Momtaza Mehri, and Fatin Abbas: the notable books of 2023 by Africans.
Open Country Mag
Open Country Mag: The Notable Books of 2023

December 28, 2023

Our Top Stories of 2023

Otosirieze
Evelyne Ily as Prisca in Mami Wata

February 11, 2023

The Anticipated Books of 2023

From Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ben Okri, and Leila Aboulela, to Chigozie Obioma, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and Ayobami Adebayo, here are the over 100 books expected to lead the literary conversation this year.
Open Country Mag
The Anticipated Books of 2023

December 29, 2022

The 60 Notable Books of 2022

From Warsan Shire, Romeo Oriogun, and Safia Elhillo to Arinze Ifeakandu, Akwaeke Emezi, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Chinelo Okparanta: our second annual highlight of the top titles of the year by African writers.
Open Country Mag
The Notable Books of 2022

May 28, 2022

12 Publications Currently Open for Submissions

From One Story to Isele, submit your work to these magazines.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

March 31, 2022

22 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born before the Last 60 Years and Now Gone

For Women’s History Month: global, continental, and national literary icons from the 20th century.
Open Country Mag
20 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born in the Last 45 Years. Curated by Open Country Mag for Women's History Month, March 2022.

February 14, 2022

28 Writers Go Deep into Love, in Art and Life

For Valentine’s Day, we asked 28 writers—deep readers and consumers of art—to share the literary, cinematic, musical, and life stories that affect them. They opened up beautifully.
Open Country Mag
A still from the film Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu and based on Monica Arac de Nyeko's short story Jambula Tree

February 12, 2022

Your Guide to Damon Galgut’s 9 Books of Fiction

The Booker Prize winner is on the February 2022 cover of Open Country Mag.
Uzoma Ihejirika
Damon Galgut's The Promise

February 2, 2022

The 50+ Most Anticipated Books of 2022

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Arinze Ifeakandu to Warsan Shire and Romeo Oriogun, here are over 50 books expected to lead the literary conversation.
Open Country Mag
The Anticipated Books of 2022

January 21, 2022

11 Magazines Currently Open for Submissions

Including The Threepenny Review, A Public Space, Isele, and Lolwe.
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Lolwe-Issue-4-Cover

December 29, 2021

The 60 Notable Books of 2021

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Bernardine Evaristo to Teju Cole, Damon Galgut, and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, our first annual highlight of the top titles of the year by African writers.
Open Country Mag

October 9, 2021

Your Guide to Nobel Prize Winner Abdulrazak Gurnah’s 10 Novels

He is the first Black writer in 28 years, the second Black African, and the first East African laureate in literature. Here are the Tanzanian’s 10 novels.
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Abdulrazak Gurnah's books. Credit: LA Times.

October 8, 2021

Reading Abdulrazak Gurnah: 22 Essays on the 2021 Nobel Prize Winner’s Works

In awarding the Tanzanian novelist, short story writer, critic, and former academic, the Swedish Academy recommends these.
Emmanuel Esomnofu
Abdulrazak Gurnah by Frank Augstein/AP.

July 15, 2021

52 Books in 64 Years: Your Guide to Wole Soyinka’s Body of Work

“Only one universal ideology answers human cruelties, the excesses of power, bigotries, social inequalities and alienation: Literature,” wrote Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature, who turned 87 this week.
Ernest Ogunyemi
Wole Soyinka. Credit: University of Oxford.

January 19, 2021

5 Nigerian Spoken Word Albums You Should Listen To

. . . by RezThaPoet, Vector, Wana Udobang, Shegzrhymz, and Titilope Sonuga.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

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

February 2, 2024

The House of Secrets

The 10 Best Films & TV Series of the Year

In a storied year for Nigerian cinema, our inaugural list prioritizes the realization of narrative, and these features stand out.
Otosirieze

January 26, 2024

Open Country Mag: The Anticipated Books of 2024

The Anticipated Books of 2024

From Chigozie Obioma, Teju Cole, and Akwaeke Emezi to Safia Elhillo, Olumide Popoola, and Tares Oburumu: the anticipated books of 2024.
Open Country Mag

January 16, 2024

Blossom Chukwujekwu as a kidnap kingpin in The Trade

The 10 Best Acting Performances of the Year

In a year of ensembles, in which it fell on collective performances to elevate stories, these actors stood out — among the films and TV series we saw.
Otosirieze

January 11, 2024

Open Country Mag: The Notable Books of 2023

The 60 Notable Books of 2023

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Teju Cole, and Leila Aboulela to DK Nnuro, Momtaza Mehri, and Fatin Abbas: the notable books of 2023 by Africans.
Open Country Mag

December 28, 2023

Evelyne Ily as Prisca in Mami Wata

Our Top Stories of 2023

Otosirieze

February 11, 2023

The Anticipated Books of 2023

The Anticipated Books of 2023

From Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ben Okri, and Leila Aboulela, to Chigozie Obioma, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and Ayobami Adebayo, here are the over 100 books expected to lead the literary conversation this year.
Open Country Mag

December 29, 2022

The Notable Books of 2022

The 60 Notable Books of 2022

From Warsan Shire, Romeo Oriogun, and Safia Elhillo to Arinze Ifeakandu, Akwaeke Emezi, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Chinelo Okparanta: our second annual highlight of the top titles of the year by African writers.
Open Country Mag

May 28, 2022

12 Publications Currently Open for Submissions

From One Story to Isele, submit your work to these magazines.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

March 31, 2022

20 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born in the Last 45 Years. Curated by Open Country Mag for Women's History Month, March 2022.

22 African Writers, Groundbreaking and Female, Born before the Last 60 Years and Now Gone

For Women’s History Month: global, continental, and national literary icons from the 20th century.
Open Country Mag

February 14, 2022

A still from the film Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu and based on Monica Arac de Nyeko's short story Jambula Tree

28 Writers Go Deep into Love, in Art and Life

For Valentine’s Day, we asked 28 writers—deep readers and consumers of art—to share the literary, cinematic, musical, and life stories that affect them. They opened up beautifully.
Open Country Mag

February 12, 2022

Damon Galgut's The Promise

Your Guide to Damon Galgut’s 9 Books of Fiction

The Booker Prize winner is on the February 2022 cover of Open Country Mag.
Uzoma Ihejirika

February 2, 2022

The Anticipated Books of 2022

The 50+ Most Anticipated Books of 2022

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Arinze Ifeakandu to Warsan Shire and Romeo Oriogun, here are over 50 books expected to lead the literary conversation.
Open Country Mag

January 21, 2022

Lolwe-Issue-4-Cover

11 Magazines Currently Open for Submissions

Including The Threepenny Review, A Public Space, Isele, and Lolwe.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

December 29, 2021

The 60 Notable Books of 2021

From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Bernardine Evaristo to Teju Cole, Damon Galgut, and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, our first annual highlight of the top titles of the year by African writers.
Open Country Mag

October 9, 2021

Abdulrazak Gurnah's books. Credit: LA Times.

Your Guide to Nobel Prize Winner Abdulrazak Gurnah’s 10 Novels

He is the first Black writer in 28 years, the second Black African, and the first East African laureate in literature. Here are the Tanzanian’s 10 novels.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

October 8, 2021

Abdulrazak Gurnah by Frank Augstein/AP.

Reading Abdulrazak Gurnah: 22 Essays on the 2021 Nobel Prize Winner’s Works

In awarding the Tanzanian novelist, short story writer, critic, and former academic, the Swedish Academy recommends these.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

July 15, 2021

Wole Soyinka. Credit: University of Oxford.

52 Books in 64 Years: Your Guide to Wole Soyinka’s Body of Work

“Only one universal ideology answers human cruelties, the excesses of power, bigotries, social inequalities and alienation: Literature,” wrote Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature, who turned 87 this week.
Ernest Ogunyemi

January 19, 2021

5 Nigerian Spoken Word Albums You Should Listen To

. . . by RezThaPoet, Vector, Wana Udobang, Shegzrhymz, and Titilope Sonuga.
Emmanuel Esomnofu

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