A week later, the power outage proved to be the catalyst that led Umm Rumaysah to the balcony that Sunday evening. She had slept off after asr prayer on the rug in her room. Immediately the standing fan gave up, her overall hijab became damp of sweat as if on cue. She jumped to her... Continue Reading →

One time a brother and I were discussing, and as I began deriding his fetish about 'ọmọ pupa', he turns to Islam and said a man should marry women that attract him. No doubt, I said. But what would you do when you already have four wives, and still have an unsatisfied fetish? He smiled... Continue Reading →

The closest encounter I've had with my own mortality happened a day after the birth of my son. Yes, in the hospital bathroom, I fell, blacked out. I had been gripped with extreme dizziness and malaria. It was my wife's voice that brought me back to life. Her eyes was on me, the door half... Continue Reading →

On Friday night, as my wife wrote a message on a card alongside the gift we were preparing to give to my friend and her husband who got married yesterday, it came upon me that my wife and I did not receive wedding gift on our wedding day. Not even one.  Yesterday, we drove up... Continue Reading →

Growing up in Nigeria at the ending years of the 20th century, my understanding of modernity (a modern life) was informed mainly by the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood. Modernity was represented by modern films which typically took place in cities and urban areas, and antiquity (premodern era) was represented by ancient movies set in villages,... Continue Reading →

Years ago, I was a junior secondary school pupil of Government College, Ibadan. Early morning on assembly ground, I would watch as Miss Jimoh or Mrs. Oyerinde, stand eyes closed in prayer, cane in hand, while concluding each prayer sentence with “in the name of Jesus!” Young as I was during those years, there was... Continue Reading →

To the best of my recollection, the very first book gift I got was from my elder brother, Bayo Bajo, on the occasion of my 14th or 15th birthday anniversary. It was a book on Public Speaking that significantly boosted my confidence and passion for rhetorics. The second was from friend and colleague, Mujib Jimoh... Continue Reading →

Poet Rasaq Malik poses as he reads from Tohib Adejumo's Beneath Her Headscarf. You can click here to order your copy in Nigeria. Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Beneath Her Headscarf is also available regional wide at this bookstores: Abuja 1. Adam Pages, Machima Plaza, No 2, Mambolo Close, Off Sultan Abubakar Way, Wuse 2, Abuja. 08033441618... Continue Reading →

On Monday, I stopped by my parents' house to make the Maghrib prayer. I noticed the walls are in need of repainting. My sister who was there with her three sons asked if I was good with painting. I boasted of my skills. But this got me thinking. My father is in Nigeria right now,... Continue Reading →