Tiléwa Kazeem

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Tiléwa Kazeem

The air conditioning sputters to a halt. The TV clicks off. The steady hum of electricity gives way to silence, swallowed by the creeping Lagos heat and the lingering scent of lavender from a diffuser. Everyone in the room sighs. We’re in the flat of 23-year-old musician M3lon in the suburb of Lekki, talking about Nigeria’s Afro-Adura, also known as trenches music (trench being a slang term for a ghetto or impoverished area).

1 month ago | newlinesmag.com | Tiléwa Kazeem

“Looks like all the beatings I’ve dealt you with my belt haven’t done anything,” Caleb the Magician recalls his father saying when he caught him trying card tricks for the umpteenth time in his bedroom. “Next time, I’ll use my fists.”This wasn’t an empty threat — it was a final warning. In Caleb’s devout Christian home in Benin City, Nigeria, magic wasn’t a hobby; it was blasphemy. Card tricks weren’t clever; they were corrupt.

2 months ago | dazeddigital.com | Tiléwa Kazeem

It’s the start of a new year, and Lagos is still wrapped in the cool, dry grasp of Harmattan – a season when desert winds sweep down from the Sahara, veiling the city in a hazy, ochre tint. The air is crisp but carries a harsh edge, leaving lips chapped and the streets cloaked in a fine, powdery layer of sand. Amid this seasonal stillness stands Sillylostpoet’s tripod, now dusted like everything else – a tool she has come to see as an extension of her craft.

Feb 7, 2025 | aljazeera.com | Tiléwa Kazeem

Lagos, Nigeria - Sodiq Taiwo looks out of his bedroom window in Lagos, watching the children below as they play and bicker in the back yard. One of their favourite games is "police and thief", where heroes chase down supposed criminals, mouthing "pew pew" as if to shoot down the wrongdoers. Taiwo chuckles at the irony while waiting for Grand Theft Auto V (GTA) Online - an extension of the game franchise that allows players to roleplay as criminals - to finish installing on his computer.

Jul 22, 2024 | republic.com.ng | Tiléwa Kazeem

How often have you rolled your eyes at the tired ‘Nigerian Prince’ stereotype and thought, ‘That’s not all there is to Nigeria.’ That outdated identity once defined every Nigerian. Now, consider this: when was the last time you heard an Afrobeats song in a British or American film instead of that old trope? Not too long ago, right? Afrobeats has found a second home in the UK, much like many Nigerians who have relocated there.