Reading List

1. Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760–1900 As the slave trade entered its last, illegal phase in the 19th century, the town of Lagos on West Africa’s Bight of Benin became one of the most important port cities north of the equator. Slavery and the Birth of an African City explore the reasons for Lagos’s sudden rise to power. By linking the histories of international slave markets to those of the regional suppliers and slave traders, Kristin Mann shows how the African slave trade forever altered the destiny of the tiny kingdom of Lagos. This magisterial work uncovers the relationship between African slavery and the growth of one of Africa’s most vibrant cities. BUY NOW  2. London Life, Lagos Living (A Collection of Short Lagos-life Observations Turned ‘Stories’) Kilon Sparkles! London Life, Lagos Living is an exciting new book by columnist Bobo Omotayo. Better known under the nom de plume ‘The Renaissance Man’, Bobo Omotayo has compiled a collection of short stories including some previously published in his column on BellaNaija titled “The Friday Track”. The book also includes new material laced with the same wit and honesty as his once-controversial postings. The stories are inherently Nigerian, capturing certain nuances of every day “Naija” life, and presenting it, through Bobo’s eyes for anyone, anywhere. The author’s style can be described as easy reading, colloquial, comical, and satirical. BUY NOW  3. Possessed: A History of Law and Justice in the Crown Colony of Lagos (1861 – 1906)