Renewal

To define Nigeria is to tell a half-truth. Many have tried, but most have concluded that it is impossible to capture the true scope and significance of Africa’s most populous nation through words or images.

Yet here, through personal essays from 24 of its writers, a more accurate picture comes into view, and in her essay, Sefi Atta beautifully examines her Nigerian identity and how she connects it to herself through recollecting a memory of a visit to the consulate.

Powerful, lyrical and entirely unforgettable, the essays from OF THIS OUR COUNTRY weave together a living portrait of Nigeria, one that is as beautiful as it is complex.

Reviews

‘The read I never thought I needed … Moving, funny at times, insightful and so relatable. It's a necessary read’ Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka Where is Your Huzband

‘As eclectic and diverse as the country itself, and you can go from laughing to wanting to weep in a matter of moments as you’re taken through the ups and downs of a nation’ Jendella Benson, author of Hope and Glory

About the author

Sefi Atta is the author of two previous novels, Swallow and Everything Good Will Come, and a collection of short stories, News from Home. She has been awarded the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and the NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa. Her novels have been published around the world and translated into numerous languages, and her radio and stage plays have been performed internationally. She was born in Lagos and now lives in the United States.