THE fourth session of #CORALiterarySeason 2.0 proved intellectually charged on Saturday, July 26. It was the last of the 4-session #NGUGISeason programme, conceived to celebrate the work. literary philosophy and accomplishment of one of Africa’s illustrious writers and culture activists, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, the Kenyan author, who passed on in May.
Staged by the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, through its CORA Youths Creative Club (CYCC), the session delved into Ngugi’s novel, Devil on the Cross, to reflect on the issues of capitalism, postcolonial identity, and gender justice, among other such concepts and ideologies. It held in the inspiring ambience of the CORA Library & Resource Centre, CL& RC, located in a fully leafy section of Freedom Park, formerly Her Majesty’s Prison in the Central Business District of Lagos Island.
More than just a literary gathering, the event was a convergence of passion, critique, and performance — melding academic rigour with the soulful showcase of African orature. The room pulsed with energy as 37 students from four Nigerian universities — University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State University (LASU), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), and Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) — engaged seasoned literary voices and cultural organisations, including Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and A.J House of Poetry.
Session One: Reading | Discussion | Performance
The session began with a compelling critical summary by moderator, Ude Ugo Ana, who set the intellectual tone by interrogating the philosophical weight of the title Devil on the Cross, a paradox that resonated deeply with Africa’s socio-political realities. Her analysis framed the narrative as both a literary text and a social allegory of the African condition under neo-colonial exploitation.
Olufemi Sanjo traced Ngugi’s commitment to socialist ideals and linguistic decolonisation, unpacking how the novel weaves oral storytelling with political urgency to expose class struggle, systemic greed, and cultural erasure. Folorunsho Kehinde introduced intertextual perspectives by referencing Wole Soyinka: aligning Ngugi’s stylistics with resistance literature that pervaded Africa’s literary landscape. His analysis of the book’s oxymoronic title opened a philosophical dialogue about African martyrdom and saviourship. Sarah Oyaleye shifted the spotlight to gender dynamics, praising Ngugi’s progressive portrayal of women as agents of resistance and societal renewal.
The session sparked passionate responses from the audience. Notably, Oko Owoi Ocho Africa, a poet, literature enthusiast and literary activist, argued that Devil on the Cross stands apart in African literature for its radical feminist thrust — portraying women not as victims but as revolutionaries. This feminist Marxist reading of the text was met with affirming nods and further interrogations by other audience members. Barrister Ayo Ademiluyi, a lawyer and convener of the soon-to-be-launched Ife Book and Art Festival, admonished that Marxism as engaged by African authors and thinkers needs to be reevaluated and reconstructed to reflect African cultural resources and philosophies.
Performance Segment: Depremoe Princess delivered an emotive, poetic response to the text. Sarah Oyaleye, alias Sarah Inkspires, presented a tender love poem that invoked both vulnerability and resilience. She ingeniously fused titles from Ngugi’s novels with Soyinka’s Ake: The Year of Childhood, to narrate an original piece that explored African struggle, hope, and historical continuity.
Session Two: Critiques – Life and Literature
In a solo session, Tobi Gabriel Afolabi transformed the segment into a Socratic dialogue, inviting the audience into a participatory critique of Devil on the Cross. He posed thought-provoking questions: What does salvation mean for the African continent? Who carries the cross? Who is the devil? His interpretations walked a tightrope between the personal and the political, and his open-floor approach created an engaging atmosphere where academic critique met lived realities. He urged participants to see literature not as distant theory but as a mirror reflecting their socio-political environments.
Session Three: Special Performance & Book Unveiling
The highlight of the evening came in a soul-stirring poetic performance by Oko Owoicho Ocho, who rendered selections from his new collection, Now I Sing God Into Stones. His performance, rich in metaphors of African spirituality, ancestral grief, and beauty in brokenness, evoked profound applause and reverence among the audience. A spontaneous, creative Ocho also engaged the audience to actively participate in his session by getting them to supply words and concepts, which he translated into verses that he rendered live before the audience. The unveiling of the book was officiated by Jahman Anikulapo, CORA Program Director, a respected cultural critic, who praised Ocho’s work for its lyrical power and spiritual depth. Recalling that Ocho started out with the CORA when he graced the Lagos Book & Arts Festival in 2011 as a 16-year old first-year Senior Secondary School, SSS student, Anikulapo mentored the gathering of youths to keep producing and consuming literary works as such will help them deepen their interest in, and as well expose them to the rich resources of Africa history, culture and literary legacy that will make them informed contributors to the progress of the continent. The book unveiling became a celebration of voice, memory, and identity, with many in attendance lauding it as a necessary addition to contemporary African poetry.
Remarks from Special Guests: At a special moment introduced by the coordinator of the session, Mr. Toyin Akinsho, Secretary-General of CORA, expressed admiration for the youth-led initiative that, for the past four weeks, ran the 4-session #NGUGISeason. He reminisced on scenarios in the earlier editions of the #CORALiterarySeason, and noted how each year the intellectual and creative depth of the youths continues to grow.
This fourth and last session of the #CORALiterarySeason 2.0 successfully bridged theory and practice, text and performance, and scholarship and activism. Ngugi’s radical vision found resonance in the voices of young Nigerians who interpreted, challenged, and reimagined his messages in real time.
What emerged was a tapestry of layered meanings: from critiques of capitalist exploitation to the celebration of African feminism; from the recovery of indigenous storytelling to the envisioning of a more just literary future. The synergy between students, scholars, and performers confirmed that African literature remains a living, breathing force, capable of sparking change, provoking thought, and inspiring action.
Volunteers and Coordination: The Heart Behind the Scenes: Sixteen dedicated CORA volunteers organised the event with dedication and passion. From ushering to tech support, refreshments to documentation, their invisible labour was the engine of the session’s success. Their commitment ensured that the third session of #NGUGISeason was not just an event, but a movement of thought.
F: CORA Youth Creative Club (CYCC)
