Precious Peters
Published works
8 pieces
The Mythology of "Spiritual Covering" in Urban Nigeria Pentecostal Prayer Spaces
From around 2015, there arose an unusual spike in the Pentecostal concept of “spiritual cleansing.”
2/3/2026 · 4 min
Domtilla (1996) as a Historical Archive of Urban Struggles in Nigeria
Zeb Ejiro's Domitilla followed a young woman selling sex to survive in a Lagos gutted by Nigeria's Structural Adjustment years. Beneath its melodrama, the 1996 film preserves how women bore the weight of economic collapse, and it stands today as an archive of the decade itself.
10/30/2025 · 5 min
Shaping Time: Early Pottery at Ounjougou and Its Lasting Legacy
At Ounjougou in Mali, archaeologists found pottery more than eleven thousand years old, among the oldest on earth. Made by hunter-gatherers in a green and well-watered Sahara, these humble fired pots reshaped how West Africans stored food long before farming or cities.
10/12/2025 · 4 min
Sweet Today, Strong Tomorrow: Palm Wine and the Culture of Fermentation in Eastern Nigeria
In Eastern Nigeria, the tapper rises before dawn to draw the milky sap that sweetens, then sharpens, as the day wears on. Among the Igbo, palm wine seals marriages and marks every milestone, its fermentation as much a matter of culture as of chemistry.
10/3/2025 · 6 min
Tokoloshe - Fear, Witchcraft, and the Unseen Forces of Zulu Society
In Zulu belief, the Tokoloshe is a small, hairy water spirit said to bring illness and bad dreams in the night. Feared as it is, it also helps keep order, often blamed when envy or ill will is suspected behind a household's misfortune.
9/26/2025 · 7 min
Fearless and Female - The Untold Story of Africa's Dahomey Amazons
The Agojie were an all-female regiment who guarded and expanded the kingdom of Dahomey, sworn to celibacy and trained from girlhood to fight. Known to their own people as Mino, "our mothers", they met French colonial troops on the battlefield and became legend across West Africa.
9/20/2025 · 7 min
From Kitchen to Cure: The Nutritional Wisdom of Unripe Plantain Porridge in Igbo Culture
Unripe plantain porridge holds a special place in Igbo culture, not just as food, but as medicine and memory. This piece looks at its roots as a healing meal, its preparation with local ingredients, and the blend of traditional and scientific views that affirm its value.
8/21/2025 · 5 min
Before You Pray, Ask Legba: The Gatekeeper of Gods and Men
Among the Fon of Benin and the Ewe of Togo and Ghana, no sacrifice or prayer reaches the gods until Legba opens the way. Created by the divine twins Mawu-Lisa, he is the gatekeeper and divine linguist, a trickster who both guides and tests the mortals who seek him, from West Africa to Haitian Vodou.
8/21/2025 · 5 min