Subsequent editions of YAANGA are expected to be released before the end of the year.
By Emmanuel “Waziri” Okoro
The YAANGA Writers’ Retreat has come to a close following a fortnight-long programme that brought together two dozen emerging cultural storytellers and thinkers to document contemporary Nigerian culture across disciplines. The retreat ended on Monday, 6 April.
Held in Lagos at the J Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, the programme took place under the leadership of the Centre’s director, Qudus Onikeku. Daily sessions were led by writer and editor Oris Aigbokhaevbolo.
Conceived as a space for reflection, reporting, and critical conversation, the retreat engaged participants across several fields, including visual arts, literature, performance art, pop music, and film. At the end of the two-week programme, participants pitched pieces spanning reportage, interviews, and reviews. Selected works, chosen by Aigbokhaevbolo and the Centre’s leadership, will form the backbone of the inaugural edition of YAANGA, a new cultural journal dedicated to documenting the dynamism of Nigerian creative life. The journal is expected to be available at the Centre in the coming weeks.
Speaking at the start of the retreat, Onikeku noted that the initiative aligned with the Centre’s broader cultural mission. “We want to create a living space for culture at the J Randle Centre,” he said. “By bringing writers together with practitioners across disciplines, we are building a record of creativity that reflects the vitality of cultural life in Lagos and Nigeria today.”
At the close of the retreat, which coincided with the final day of the Afropolis Festival, Onikeku expressed satisfaction with the outcome. “I have seen some of the pitches, and there are several fresh ideas in there,” he said.
Aigbokhaevbolo shared a similar sentiment. “We had an impressive cohort,” he said. “Even as I taught them myself every day for two weeks, I am looking forward to reading the first edition of YAANGA.”
The programme also featured visits and conversations with leading figures from across Nigeria’s cultural landscape, including film director Kunle Afolayan, publisher Othuke Ominiabohs of Masobe Books, visual arts curator and advocate Jumoke Sanwo, rapper Vector, screenwriter and AMVCA nominee Lani Aisida, and photographer Aisha Adamu Augie, who currently serves as Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC).
Subsequent editions of YAANGA are expected to be released before the end of the year. Onikeku emphasised the long-term vision for the project: “We see YAANGA as an ongoing initiative. Our culture never stops moving or evolving. Documenting it should be the same.”