About Agbowó

Agbowó, the literary journal, is an off-shoot of the UITES WRITE collective. UITES WRITE, founded by Habeeb Kolade and Dolapo Amusat in 2015, is a platform to showcase literary work by University of Ibadan students and alumni. The collective, published electronic anthologies - the UITES WRITE Anthology and OCTOBER STORIES featuring prose and fiction and received numerous plaudits and a Student Initiative of the Year commendation by the Student’s Union. The goal, with UITES WRITE, was to create a community of past and present University of Ibadan students using art as a tool.

Graduating and ambitious, the founding editorial team decided to carve out a literary magazine and open up to Africa. And, thus, Agbowó was born. While the scope was broader with Agbowó, the aim was not all too dissimilar from that of the mother organization - to create a common space. In this case, a common space for showcasing and celebrating African literary and visual art and by that measure, engendering community. While the magazine bears the name of the street opposite the University of Ibadan and could be seen as symbolizing our move into the wider world, our usage of “Agbowó” is broader and, as one of the founding editors put it, means -  “collectors of things of value”. We have since committed ourselves to the seeking out and amplification of emerging voices on the continent.   

But beyond publishing and the community of readers we cater to, we also sought a physical community of writers, readers and art enthusiasts. In 2018, we acquired the University of Ibadan-based art events platform “Arts N Chill” (AnC). Through AnC, we have hosted conversations on topical issues that interface with art and facilitated workshops in these communities.