West African Magazines

West African Magazines will grow to include more than 50,000 pages of culturally rich and historically significant content, available in digital format for the first time.

Spanning decades of transformation, this collection provides insight into the literary heritage of Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, and other countries from the colonial era in the 1930s through independence and into the modern period. The magazines showcase a rich tapestry of fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and other features, exploring African intellectual identity through literature, art, and cultural commentary.

Researchers and students in history, political science, Africana studies, culture, gender, education, and media studies will discover materials that have almost never been seen outside Africa.

The database has been developed in collaboration with Sabinet, a leading publisher of African materials for libraries, with digitization taking place in Africa.

Historically significant titles, notable authors

There are contributions by writers including Ama Ata Aidoo, Kofi Awoonor, and other figures. A few examples from the growing bibliography:

• Nigeria, 1937–1985
• L’Afrique Actuelle, 1965–1969, arts and literature magazine
• Okyeame, 1960–1972, Ghanaian literary magazine
• La Vie Africaine, 1959–1965, politics and current affairs
• Black Orpheus, 1957–1967, Nigerian literary magazine