There is something deeply revealing about the way Nigeria suddenly became fashionable in the American culture wars. For years, Nigeria’s insecurity has killed Christians, Muslims and anyone unfortunate enough to be standing between a gunman and his next ransom payment. Boko Haram kills Muslims. IS-affiliated groups kill Muslims. Bandits kill Muslims. Bandits kill Christians. Farmers …
What’s something you’ve forgiven but haven’t forgotten? Not forgotten
The untold story of John Henry Clavell Smythe and the origins of Black migration to Britain Sometimes history is not wrong. It is simply incomplete. And occasionally, the missing piece is preserved in the recollections of a son telling the story of his father. The popular historical narrative of mass Black migration to Britain begins with the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948. The event has become a defining moment in modern British history and the beginning of what is popularly known as the Windrush Generation.
Trump’s chronic shortage of grace is not a glitch. It is the operating system. The man treats basic human decency the way most people treat leftover brussels sprouts: with suspicion, then disposal. But even by his standards, the latest performance deserves a special citation for tastelessness.
Lagos will not court you. It is a city that is what it is. I have lived part-time in Lagos for 10 years and I complain about it each time I return from my home in the US — its allergy to order, its stultifying traffic, its power cuts. I like, though, that nothing about Lagos was crafted for the tourist, nothing done to appeal to the visitor. Tourism has its uses, but it can mangle a city, especially a developing city, and flatten it into a permanent shape of service: the city’s default becomes a simpering bow, and its people turn the greyest parts of themselves into colourful props. In this sense, Lagos has a certain authenticity because it is indifferent to ingratiating itself; it will treat your love with an embrace, and your hate with a shrug. What you see in Lagos is what Lagos truly is.
