The Lighthouse Library

Anonymous South Africa (limpopo) Africa, feminism is power   I was five years old when I was taught how to carry myself as an African female. As in how to speak, sit, walk and so on. It made me feel so trapped because I couldn't be who I really was. "Sit properly...

Aaditya Sengupta Dhar Mumbai, India Tug of War   No bigger Cricket match: India versus Pakistan! The stadium, packed with fans, on one side a sea of Indian blue, the other, Pakistani green, taunting each other as emotions boil over. Virat Kohli sends the ball...

Marvellous Adelaja Nigeria A Saturday like Today.   While I like to eat "amala" and "ewedu" soup on Saturdays, especially cold Saturdays, like today has promised to be; Amaka, my yellow-skinned roommate would always insist on having a plate of "Fufu" and "Oha"...

Abdiel Tabuzo Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tolerance   One night, a child was born into a different land, far away from his parent's homeland. He grew up beloved by his parents and family. In the foreign land, he needed to blend in. He went to a school where...

Eniola Kwuelum Lagos, Nigeria. Onye Mmeri- The one who conquers   As I approach the exit of the Anambra International Airport in Anambra, Nigeria, I see banners of my name waved in the air. Some of them contain my old pictures, and I guess that must’ve been my...

Victor Udonsi Nigeria   Love is Love! Last month, I had the pleasure and privilege of speaking with a Palestinian expatriate living in the USA. I have never been more grateful for online forums in my life. We had a lengthy discussion and just like me, he revealed...

Fathia Kareem Nigeria I thought I was invincible   Yes, I tested positive for COVID-19. I fell victim to this virus: a nasty, lingering virus that gave me the worst symptoms I’ve experienced to this day, that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. My story is to warn you...

Shakirat kareem Nigeria  Are We Healing Or Hurting?   2 p.m., we walked downtown, pushing our way through the ever-busy streets. For thirty minutes now, we had been enjoying our exploration of the city panoramas. Suddenly, the scenes started changing, and we...

Christiana Okere Nigeria Food Escapades in Egypt   As soon as my eyes met the abomination in front of me, my appetite quickly receded into the background. Why would anyone in their right mind combine okra soup with rice? Even more deplorable was that the okra was...

Zoe Octavia Obazee Lagos, Nigeria Call me, Zoe!   To be born in Freetown, is to identify with that ancient Cotton Tree and that my father is Liberian is a connection to that former Football Star, George Weah, who today is president.   It was time to give me...

Patrick Kinene Gichuki Kenya Ruiru campus Living for the future   Life works in mysterious ways. Ways we cannot explain. Life has its teeth, but if it’s not your turn to get bit, you’ll just have to continue living. Life was placing me in a corner. As a young lad...

Ayomide Benedicta Lawrence Lagos, Nigeria Light   Her stilettos flew swiftly, landing on my skull. An electronic current passed through my frail body. When she was done, I felt like I was stung all over by scorpions. I watched her shower love on the other...

Anonymous Rwanda “I once heard, we are all different, yet the same.   “Diversity, culture, traditions, beliefs, differences, complexity.” These are how we proclaim our differences to others.   “What!” She screamed, with her pupils dilated in shock. “You do...

Anastasia Ugwu Nigeria Unity in Diversity   Olamma sighed for what appeared to be the hundredth time that morning. She hadn't come to terms with the fact that she'd spend a year at a remote village in Northern Nigeria. She'd heard stories about the striving,...

Priviledge Chisumbu Harare, Zimbabwe My Little World Whenever I came back from college, I felt like a giant. This wasn’t because of my academic achievement. This four-roomed petite maison in the ghetto shrunk whenever I compared it to my exotic designs. Nevertheless,...

Audrey Obuobisa-Darko Ghana What Sweden Did   9 p.m., May 6th. Forehead kiss from Ma, sad goodbyes, and my final departure to a land far from home.   “Freezing!” “Welcome to Sweden,” Göran laughed. I met other writers on the African Literature Project; Mercy...

Omotara Akinsowon Lagos, Nigeria. I Heard A Rumour   Sheila walked down her street, dragging her feet along with a distraught look on her face. Why had she not studied more for her English test?   Possibly because her parent's late-night yelling had taken...

Riham El-Ashry Egypt Different   Students ran down the lobby; some were laughing and some excited to witness a fight. It would be the first this year.   "Milton got the new boy in a corner. He's dead," one whispered to his shorter friend, trying to convey...

Olufemi Opeyemi Grace Ondo State, Nigeria When Tribes Don't Matter   It was a hot day, and I was reading a novel when a knock interrupted. I checked, it was a Fulani boy– one of the shepherds who pass through farms and forests, leading cows to graze. As a...

Ayodele Omotayo Arowosegbe Nigeria The Listless Wave   It is a continuous wave, an intense energy, but it was once a life. I was the life, and yet I am not anymore. It had been an eventful life, but I have no memory of it. Right now, everything I know is the...

Oyeleye Mahmoodah Temitope Lagos, Nigeria Cross by the sea   At the horizon, one could see the feral blue of the sea meeting the clearer sky blue, creating an endless flow. I grew up watching the sun align with this gorgeous vista. Fish was the delicacy. A land...

Maria Ximena Bautista Valles Trujillo, Peru Back to Lic-Lic: an appreciation of our roots   In a country like Peru, where centralism is the principal cause of migration, it's very easy to meet persons who have their origins in a different place from the one they...

Gbemisola Esho Lagos Nigeria The Chinese Apology   The interwoven tapestry of the rich heritage of the Chinese is almost blinding. The nuances, unspoken expressions, intricacies and grace are all part of beaucoup presented in their rich culture. I marveled at the...

Marjorie Garcés Ocares Temuco, Chile Can we nurture healthy human interactions?   I chose a pencil to draw the portrait of the preacher. I'd always begin with the eyes because they'd tell so much. I was 7, 10, 13 years old, and I was sitting at church meditating,...

Akshita Kumar India Emotional gravies with a sprinkle of salt   I bring the tip of the ladle to my lips, the gravy burns my mouth, the burn is welcome. “Mmh... It lacks salt”, I think to myself. Amidst the haze of skepticism, I hear a “ping” sound. I rush towards...

Christian Nwanneka John Kano, Nigeria A Fate Worse than Death   It was a hot afternoon in the month of March. Ubaka was trundling homeward from a mission in a far-flung land. He was at Obu, only halfway home, yet he’s weary and parched and looked ready to drop....

Sugandha Pallan New Delhi (India) To make our ends meet   “Kehkasha! You got the job. It’s a miracle,” Assadullah said as she entered the house.   “Abbu! Why did you leave the opportunity?” Kehkasha asked, wiping off the tears off her face.   “Only one...

Opeziba Peters Nigeria It was good for me   Waking up in shock to my skirt down and his fingers in my vagina, he scampered as I struggled to pull my pants up. My seven-year-old self, who had been running around all day and went to bed without a bath, couldn't go...

Adaeze Chinemelum iloka South East, Nigeria. Once upon a time, a Tree Whisperer   I know a boy who lived! A boy who lived hopping from tree to tree. A monkey! Enwe! OSA! He liked to call himself. The trees spoke to him and he listened. He knew when to crawl, hug,...