Emerging Storytellers Convene In Lagos For Cultural Writing Residency

Fostering Cultural Storytelling

THE J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History is hosting a fortnight-long writers’ retreat, bringing together 28 emerging storytellers and cultural thinkers from across Nigeria. The initiative, guided by choreographer and Centre Director Qudus Onikeku, aims to document contemporary Nigerian culture across literature, visual arts, performance, urban culture, pop music, and film.

The retreat will be led by writer and editor Oris Aigbokhaevbolo and coincides with Afropolis 2026, offering participants space for reflection, reporting, and critical conversation. The works produced during the programme will form the foundation of the inaugural edition of YAANGA, a new culture journal dedicated to chronicling the vibrancy of Nigerian creativity.

Engaging Cultural Leaders

The programme features guest visits and conversations with leading figures across Nigeria’s creative landscape, including film director Kunle Afolayan, curator Jumoke Sanwo, rapper Vector, screenwriter Lani Aisida, writer OluTimehin Kukoyi, publisher Othuke Ominiabohs, and photographer Aisha Adamu Augie.

Onikeku said the initiative is designed to turn the Centre into a “living space for culture and memory,” enabling writers to engage closely with practitioners while building a record of Lagos and Nigeria’s cultural dynamism.

Building YAANGA

Aigbokhaevbolo emphasized that YAANGA will serve as a homegrown platform for documenting Nigeria’s rapidly evolving culture. “Too much of our culture passes without proper recording or interrogation by our own people,” he said.

YAANGA will be a free, quarterly publication featuring essays, reportage, reviews, photography, and graphic/art design, with subsequent editions planned before year-end. Onikeku added, “Documenting culture should be continuous; our culture never stops moving.”