Our name, Oriire, comes from the Yoruba language and means "good fortune" or "blessing."
Oriire is a non-profit publication of mythology, folklore and cultural memory from Nigeria and across Africa. Founded with the belief that our stories matter, we publish work that is grounded in research and alive with wonder.
Our editorial focus is well-researched, contextual analysis of cultural narratives, belief systems, practices and worldviews from across Africa's diverse communities. We treat mythology and folklore as cultural heritage, and use myth as a lens for understanding African and diasporic histories, identities and lived realities.
Why It Matters
Historically, Africans have passed down our heritage to the next generations orally. This has unfortunately led to much of that history being lost and forgotten with very few custodians left. Languages are going extinct, traditions have been forgotten and millions have lost their heritage.
By documenting and sharing African stories in a digital, accessible form, we ensure that knowledge travels across borders, connects diasporas, and inspires new generations.
African culture is not a monolith. It is rich, varied and well-travelled, and has evolved as it has journeyed from Africa to other places. This is why Nigerian moi moi is so similar to Brazilian abada and akara is so similar to acarajé.
This site aims to highlight the mythology, folklore and cultural memory of Nigeria and Africa across different cultures, different languages, tribes and peoples. It is vital that our heritage is documented and showcased.
Our Mission
Oriire exists to make the mythology, folklore and cultural memory from Nigeria and across Africa accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Preserve
Document and digitize oral traditions, mythological narratives, and cultural practices before they are lost to time.
Share
Make African stories accessible to a global audience through articles, podcasts, multimedia, and our growing Codex.
Connect
Build a community of writers, researchers, storytellers, and culture enthusiasts who are passionate about African heritage.
Our Editorial Pillars
All of our work sits under one of three editorial pillars.
Deities, spirits and cosmologies, folktales and legends, and beliefs about fate and personhood.
Festivals, rituals and customary practice, crafts and indigenous knowledge. The lived culture of a people.
History and heritage, diaspora, and how a people remembers itself.
What We Publish
Annual Initiatives
The Oriire Folklore Prize
Our annual literary prize for new writing on folklore from Nigeria and across Africa.
The Oriire Journal
Our annual digital and print-on-demand publication featuring the best of Oriire's work.
What We Believe
Grounded and alive
We treat African mythology as real scholarship and tell it with wonder. Accurate, sourced where it can be, and a pleasure to read.
Continental and diasporic
We start with Nigeria, but Oriire spans the continent and its diaspora.
Contributors are paid
Writers, researchers and editors are credited and compensated. We pay the people who build Oriire.
Free to read
Reading is free. The platform survives on memberships, donations and partnerships.
Editorially independent
We do not run ads or sell reader data.
So Far
Figures update automatically as Oriire grows.
We believe African mythology should remain free and accessible to everyone, not hidden behind a paywall. As an independent platform and non-profit organisation, we rely on paid memberships and donations to pay our contributors, maintain the platform, and keep the lights on.
"Reading is free. Supporting ensures we survive."
Join the Community
Oriire is independent and community-supported. Join us as a reader, contributor or patron to help preserve and share African stories.