An Open Mic Ogbomoso Anthology: Volume I, Year Four EWÌ ’MOSHO is the first official anthology from Open Mic Ogbomoso, curated in its fourth year. It documents poems that have lived on the mic—works spoken aloud, tested before a listening audience, and shaped by live performance. ARCHIVE AND ELIGIBILITYVolume I was open to poets who […]
Four years ago, I was out of a job and had just relocated from Maiduguri to Ogbomoso. It was a difficult season. In the middle of that uncertainty, I returned to spoken word poetry, something that has steadied me in my darkest moments. Through Vic’Adex Concepts and Aesthetic Resources, I scraped together Open Mic Ogbomoso. […]
Young Vic’Adex, 2009 There are parts of my childhood I can only understand backwards. At fifteen, understanding wasn’t available to me. Only rebellion. I had lived lines like, “I was 13 when I chose death over my father.” I meant it. Everywhere I turned, people insisted that honouring my father and mother was the secret […]
On Hilda Baci’s Jollof world record, a viral post mocked Nigerians: while other countries were winning Nobel Prizes, it claimed, Nigerians were “cooking rice.” On the surface, it sounded like clever social critique. Look closer, and it was a lazy contrast that reduced a country of 220 million into a caricature. The Illusion of Nobel Parity […]
“Grant me chastity and self-control — but not yet.” — Saint Augustine, Confessions Tweet There are books that tell you what a man feels, and there are books that tell you what a man believes about himself when no one is looking. Poetry Has All My Pain belongs firmly to the latter. It is not simply […]
A welcome note for Bloom & Essence, Okunade Olamilekan’s debut solo exhibition, held at the British Council, Ikoyi, Lagos, on 22–23 November 2025. Extracts appeared in the exhibition catalogue’s “Soundbites” section. You’re welcome. Not just to an exhibition, but into a conversation… This debut solo exhibition by Okunade Olamilekan is one about who we are, […]
In a landmark celebration of creativity and spoken word, Poets in Nigeria (PIN) marked its 10th anniversary with a National Poetry Slam, drawing poets from across the nation and setting a new milestone for Nigeria’s growing performance poetry community. Over the years, PIN has championed the art of poetry by mentoring young writers and giving […]
Men, Not gods – Vic’Adex I see men dangling Upon the pikesOf a sentence called lifeMan treating her like a despicable imprisonment And in prison good behaviour gets you paroledMaybe that’s why good people die early Too often we pray to a god to pay our priceWhile we poise poignantly to proclaim the PrizeWe trade […]
A battle with unappreciated brilliance and a poet’s self-reflection on a great poem falling flat on stage. “If you want to evoke emotions and a response from people, give them something relatable.” — Dike Chukwumerije There is a particular kind of heartbreak that comes when a poet steps offstage after delivering what they know is […]
“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”— Leonardo da Vinci IntroductionAppeal to authority is one of the fallacies we were introduced to in philosophy. The concept is straightforward: instead of presenting a clear, logical argument with premises leading to a conclusion, someone simply makes a statement and expects us to accept it […]