Olongo Press
OlongoAfrica returns to Black Orpheus Journal
August, 2024 OlongoAfrica.com presents a year-long project to explore the legacy of the Black Orpheus journal on literature and culture documentation around the African continent. The Black Orpheus Journal of African and Afro-American Literature was first published between 1957 and 1975. It was founded by Ulli Beier, a German-Jewish expatriate whose work in the arts […]
The Flute – African Urban Echoes
In the words of Nigerian poet, Odia Ofeimum, “A city is like a poem. You enter it and you enter into a world of concentrated time.” Odia’s observation makes us think of the city as malleable, changing from time to time, switching tempo from moment to moment. The African city, we guess, can be fast […]
The 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature (Poetry) Kicks Off
At an event in Lagos today, the entries for the 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature were handed over to the panel of judges by the Chair of the Prize’s Advisory Board, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo. Every year, the Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) accepts a flurry of entries dedicated […]
OlongoAfrica to Republish “An African Abroad”
Mashood Ọlábísí Àjàlá’s wild ride of a life began on a bicycle. In 1952, the Nigerian writer, then 22 years old, biked for 2,280 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles; his 28-day journey was featured in newspaper reports, attracting the notice of many notables. That July, Àjàlá, described in newspaper reports as “personable,” lectured at […]
Introducing the Olongo Talk Series
Beginning this January, we want to re-introduce our quarterly Olongo Talk Series, where we host writers of various genres to have conversations around relevant themes, histories, and other inspirations. We have had one such event in the past year, but we hope to make it a regular feature going forward. On January 14, 2022, we […]
After NLNG 2021 Literature Prize Shortlist
Out of the eleven names longlisted for the LNG Literary Prize, this month, the Advisory Board released a shortlist of three names shortlisted for the LNG Prize for prose fiction genre. The three stories are dynamic, rich and compelling in their approach to the gender subject and other intersecting themes that are captured through their […]