Funerals honour the life of the deceased. Nigeria’s elaborate and expensive funerals are rooted in history and are not unique to that country. But, says Cosmic Yoruba, the high costs and expectations surrounding these events can place a strain on the wallet and the emotions
Cosmic Yoruba
Politics and Society “We don’t need your world”: The Jarawa people’s fight for self-determination
At first sight, the Jawara look African, but genetically they have more in common with South Asians. They are considered to be one of the earliest people to have walked this earth – and now their livelihood is in danger.
Lifestyle Is there a growing porn production scene in Nigeria?
The porn culture in Nigeria is growing: Nigerians are said to consume the most porn online, surpassing the United States. Now, a small number of Nigerian producers are creating a home-grown industry by making and sharing sexually explicit content online.
Arts, Culture and Sport What it means to be LGBT in Nigeria – an interview with author and academic Unoma Azuah
Unoma Azuah is a Nigerian academic and the author of Length of Light and Sky-high Flames, both works of fiction. In this interview, she spoke to TIA contributor Cosmic Yoruba about her latest project, Blessed Body, an anthology of real-life stories from Nigeria’s LGBT community.
Arts, Culture and Sport Pop culture eyes the Orisha
Little by little, I am noticing more mention of Orisha in music, films and books than ever before.
Lifestyle Why are women playing down skin-bleaching?
The Daily Telegraph recently posted an article by a Nigerian lawyer suggesting that skin-bleaching is OK because women do it to be more attractive, and that’s their prerogative. It’s not the first time someone has defended the practice and missed the point.
Politics and Society Europeans did NOT bring shoes to Africa
It’s a common misconception that Africans tended to go barefoot before the Europeans kindly turned up with shoes. This is far from the truth, and is another microcosm of prejudices about life on the continent before colonialism…
Lifestyle Celebrating unapologetic sexy Black women
The fuss about female pop artists like Nigerian Tiwa Savage posing semi-nude in their music videos or displaying their bodies in public raises some important questions: do women own their own bodies? And why do men feel the need to police female sexuality?