Join us for Storytelling as Nation Building, a talk with leading Nigerian writers on the eve of Nigeria’s 2023 election.
Nigeria Influences the Black Globe
As the epicenter of both Black genius and Black depravity, the fate of Nigeria will ultimately impact every Black person on the planet. On the eve of Nigeria’s 2023 election, one of the most anticipated in history, prominent Nigerian storytellers will discuss the power of storytelling as a nation-building apparatus in a panel hosted by the Yale Nigerian Students Association alongside NOIR FEST.
Featuring: Lande Yoosuf, Caleb Femi and David Hundeyin. Moderated by Olori Lolade Aliyu-Siyonbola
The State of the Nation
2020’s global END SARS Movement culminated in the Lekki Tollgate Massacre. The Nigerian government opened fire on peaceful protesters, murdering several innocent youth. This devastation catalyzed a powerful new wave of political engagement from Nigeria’s Gen Z & Millennials, who launched and re-launched a number of political organizations with an eye on the 2023 election.
These efforts were expected to deliver sweeping changes across the country with the upcoming election, but the country continues to devolve deeper into chaos as the election nears. Cash scarcity, fuel scarcity, soaring prices are just some of the devastations affecting everyday Nigerians.
How can this generation live up to its mandate as the “Turning Point Generation” , transforming the on-ground reality into the Black paradise so many of us dream of? We believe storytelling has a tremendous role to play.
The Role of Stories
Across the ocean–and across the globe–Nigerian talent continues to drive creative movements in music, fine art, fashion, tech and many more industries, with their impact felt across races and generations. The story they collectively tell is in sharp contrast to the suffering of everyday Nigerians, yet it is deliberately creating new possibilities, forging new partnerships that ultimately make a difference on ground.
This is how storytelling shapes our future.
As noted in the HarperCollins anthology, Of this Our Country—which inspired this panel, telling the story of Nigeria is a national project in which many voices convey their personal experience.
There is no singular Nigerian narrative. With that same thinking, it follows that the story of Nigeria’s Liberated future too lies in the voices of all of us. It is national project evoking our dreams for the land that birthed a trillion bold stories.
So Nigerian a practice, storytelling would seem the perfect salve for a nation in turmoil. Through the eyes of prominent Nigerian storytellers, we’ll explore the historical impact of the discipline on Nigeria’s political landscape and the possibilities it holds for shaping the future of the world’s most populous and impactful Black nation.
Join us in person for free at WLH on Yale’s campus, or online via Zoom by getting a free ticket here.
