The 5 best books set in Nigeria

Nowadays, there are many people who like to label books as uncool and outdated. Big reading fans, in particular, are therefore concerned that real books could become extinct over time. But for sure 22Bet will never go extinct.

In the current age of tablets, smartphones, and the like, many children are already starting to use digital media at pre-school age to enjoy moving images. However, there are a few reasons that still speak in favour of picking up a real book today. The ability to conveniently buy books online also means that there is an almost infinite choice of new reading material. It challenges marginalising discourses of colonial knowledge production by incorporating indigenous epistemologies that can co-exist with superior alien technology. The book does all of these complex things in a way that makes it a thoroughly entertaining (if sometimes gruesome) read.

1. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

With the hype surrounding the publication of the novel The Death of Vivek Oji, which was only recently published in German translation, it could easily happen that readers forget to add Akwaeke Emezi’s first novel, Freshwater to their reading list. In Süsswasser, translated into German by Anabelle Assaf and Senthuran Varatharajah, Emezi explores the topic of gender identities. It is a thematic complex that forms an integral part of Emezi’s entire oeuvre. In Freshwater, Emezi skilfully breaks with established Western discourses of medical science and mental health. Emezi also questions prescriptive notions of binary gender. For example, Emezi’s main character Ada is not a singular, coherent ‘I’, but consists of several brothers and sisters. Süsswasser is an appealing book because it is extremely innovative in its conceptualisation of subjectivity and gender. 

2. Captious Love by Ben Okri

Captious Love by Booker Prize winner Ben Okri follows the story of Omovo, whose life is held together by his art and his love for the beautiful but already married Ifeyiwa – the dangerous love of the title. The novel is set in Lagos and in the context of a Nigeria still struggling with the traces of the violence of the Biafra War and its colonial legacy. Omovo’s work as a painter serves as a vehicle and manifestation of his personal growth, an act of empowerment and resistance. 

3. ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’ by Chikodili Emelumadu

Chikodili Emelumadu is probably not the most recognisable name on this list, but she is an up-and-coming writer of great talent. Born in the UK and raised in Nigeria, Emelumadu was a finalist for the Caine Prize in 2020 with her guide ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’. 

Presented as a satirical ‘how to’, her story advises parents on how to deal with the situation when their offspring bring home a Mami Wata – a kind of water spirit that often appears in the form of an attractive but ultimately dangerous woman (although there are also male Mami Watas, as the text suggests). A tongue-in-cheek take on homophobic attitudes towards same-sex relationships, which is accompanied by a lot of humour in this beautiful text. 

4. Nnu Ego – Twenty Sacks of Shell Money by Buchi Emecheta

Born in Nigeria, celebrated author Buchi Emecheta wrote one of her most famous novels, ‘The Joys of Motherhood’, which was first published in 1979 and is something of a classic of African literature. The novel was published in 1983 in the German translation by Helmi Martini-Honus and Jürgen Martini as Nnu Ego – Zwanzig Säcke Muschelgeld. The novel allows its readers to follow Nnu Ego through the story of her life in Nigeria in the first half of the 20th century. 

Nnu Ego’s journey takes her from a rural area to a life in bustling Lagos, dealing with the pain of losing a child, the fear of infertility, and the experiences of joy that motherhood brings her. All the while, the protagonist’s story is embedded in Nigeria’s confrontation with colonialism and a rapidly changing socio-cultural context. Emecheta sharply criticises both British imperialism and patriarchal structures. 

5. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

I must confess that this is my favourite on this list. It’s not for nothing that Nnedi Okorafor is widely recognised as being at the forefront of African speculative fiction, and her 2014 novel Lagune is widely read and appreciated, and rightly so. The German translation by Claudia Kern was published in 2016. The story is set in Lagos and imagines the arrival of aliens off the coast of this African metropolis. The drama and action that ensue make for a raucous and turbulent ride through cleverly executed genre fiction and an intelligent deconstruction of established forms of science fiction as produced by white men.

He challenges exclusionary discourses of colonial knowledge production by incorporating indigenous epistemologies that can co-exist with superior alien technology. The book does all of these complex things in a way that makes it a thoroughly entertaining (if sometimes gruesome) read.