How Colonial-era Lagos Sparked a Print Revolution

A new book by anthropologist Karin Barber traces the rise of Yoruba-language publishing in early 20th-century Lagos, a movement that flourished even as English dominated colonial administration and commerce. While Lagos printing presses date to 1862, most early output was in English, reaching only a small educated elite. By the 1910s, a newly literate Yoruba-speaking readership had emerged, fueling a wave of newspapers, books, and pamphlets. Five Yoruba weekly papers launched in the 1920s alone, blending local news, satire, political commentary, and serialized fiction. Barber describes this era as experimental, shaped by political unrest, religious change, and a fusion of oral street culture with print. She argues this period laid the groundwork for Nigeria’s rich African-language literary tradition, which still echoes today in Afrobeat, Nollywood, and Pidgin-infused storytelling.