The Talking Drum Magazine

27/08/2026

Kinda chic to be a gen z run magazine devoted to honest day-to-day documentation and publishing the most critical essays & nonfiction.

05/08/2026

“What or who have they fled from? The expressions only lead me to infer flight. The painter’s intent moves closer to visualizing consequence meets escapee, as embodied in the constipated entity. Entities really; the system is broken down to faces fending themselves. Faces choking, ripping mouths, faces melting, faces crushed, squealing. The will is powerless now to let go of the food, the poison.”

In 'The Escapist Nature of Privilege,' Ebri Kowaki explains using Timilehin Oludare's (Timilehinoludare) “The Escapist Nature of Things,” the manners, reasons for and the dangers of seeking flight/escape or momentary ease.

🔗 Read the full essay at the link in bio. Share your thoughts with us. 🪄

______
📝: Ebri Kowaki (Ebri Kowaki)
🔍: Chidinma Otubo (Divine Favour)
🎨: Timilehin Oludare (Timilehinoludare)
______

13/06/2026

“Put you on?” Of course we'll put you on. We do not gatekeep here.

After a little market research, these nine side hustles came top on our list as the best ways to make money as a youth in Nigeria without a 9-5.

And you only need your phone, time (which you already have) and maybe extra energy for a few.

Head over to the link in bio to read the full article. Pick the best option for you and start earning. ☺️

If you want a second list, leave a comment below!

06/06/2026

Oyinkan Braithwaite's 'Cursed Daughters', though very poorly written, touches a very serious issue plaguing the Nigerian society.

In 'Cursed Daughters', Oyinkan attributes the Falodun women's obsession with men and the need to get married to a blood curse. The book takes a spiritual path, leaning heavily into the curse and the women using it as an excuse to be very reckless with their lives.

Chidinma Otubo (.dinma__) believes the curse is not real and explains at the link in bio what Oyinkan Braithwaithe might have intended with it. Calling the book "a thread of metaphor wrongly executed".

Head over to the link in bio to read and don't forget to subscribe.

13/04/2026

Big News!
The Talking Drum Magazine is taking a new editorial direction and we're looking for exceptional editors to join the team.

This new direction gives us the opportunity to listen to a wider community and carefully tell their stories with utmost accuracy.

If you have any experience as a culture or lifestyle editor, politics, entertainment or beauty/fashion editor, we're looking for you.

Send us a CREATIVE cover letter telling us why you're best suited for the role and a copy of your resume to [email protected]. Get witty with the SUBJECT. 😉

PS: you get a stipend for every story you successfully commission. 🥁🥳

What are you waiting for? We can't wait for you to join the team! 🥁🎉🎉

21/03/2026

Check the comment section for link to the full essay. 🥁

21/03/2026

20/03/2026

“I would watch the films I want and read the books my heart sought to fill blank spaces in their storylines but then we only had these films burned into DVDs ...But then everyone switched to DSTV cables and there was nothing left except the stories which were saved in more mediums than one. The books were only printed in limited copies so when termites and beetles ate up copies in now dilapidated government libraries, there are no digital archives, individuals lost or mishandled remaining copies, manuscripts are nowhere to be found for reprinting, there is not a lot you can do to satiate that kind of hunger.

Oftentimes I wonder whose fault it is that we do not have our books, films, songs, centuries and decades of history, culture and traditions properly preserved and passed down.”

The recent ichafu and gele situation is a pretty good reminder why proper cultural documentation and preservation matters.

In this essay, Chidinma Otubo (.dinma__) explains with various conversations with family members, why cultural preservation is a matter of urgency.

🔗 Read the full essay at the link in bio. Or click the link in the comment section. Do well to join the conversation.

16/03/2026

We're always in the business of documenting the lives of everyday Nigerian youths. If you have an experience you'd love to share, pitch it to us or submit it to [email protected]. 🥁🥁🥁

Here are essays we've published this year. You can read them and some more at the link in bio. 🥁