Submission guidelines

Important Update: New Submission Guidelines Starting March 1st, 2025.

Oriire will only accept article submissions based on our monthly writing prompts. Each month, we’ll release five themes, and submissions must align with one of them. This change allows us to spotlight a wider range of historical and mythological stories while ensuring a more structured and engaging experience for both writers and readers.

For April submissions, here are the prompts to choose from:

  • The Role of Women in African Mythology – Investigate female deities, spirits, or figures in African myths like Mami Wata and Oshun etc.What roles do they play in creation, justice, fertility, or chaos? How are they represented across cultures?
  • African Festivals that Celebrate the Gods – Explore traditional festivals that honor deities or spirits e.g., Osun-Osogbo Festival (Nigeria), Homowo (Ghana), or Nyau Masquerades (Malawi/Zambia). What rituals are performed? What do they reveal about the mythology?
  • The Afterlife in African Spiritual Beliefs – Compare beliefs about the afterlife across African cultures e.g., the Yoruba concept of reincarnation, Egyptian Duat, or the Lozi journey to Nyambe. How do ancestors and spirits feature in these worldviews?
  • Symbols and Sacred Objects in African Religion – Document the use and meaning of specific symbols, amulets, masks, staffs, or ritual items in African spiritual systems. E.g., the calabash, iron (Ogun), cowrie shells, or Adinkra symbols.
  • The African roots of Capoeira in Brazil or Kalinda in the Caribbean – Research how African combat practices influenced diaspora martial arts like Capoeira in Brazil or Kalinda in the Caribbean. What are their origins and connections to resistance, music, and culture?


Writers whose articles are selected for publication will continue to receive a fixed payment per article. Be sure to follow our submission guidelines outlined below to improve your chances of getting published!

New prompts will be announced at the start of each month. Stay tuned and start writing!

General Submission Guildelines

Oriire spotlights and explores content relating to African heritage. We are accepting content which relates to:

  • African History
  • African Myth

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We accept content in the following formats:​

  • Articles
  • Essays

We strive to be as diverse in our representation as possible and seek content that cuts across different cultures from the many countries in Africa.

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Authors of all submissions selected for publication are paid a flat rate of N10,000 per article.

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You will be asked to provide payment details on the submission form.

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Before submitting your content, please ensure the following:

  • Your full name and email are included (While your work can be published under an alias, your full name must still be included in your submission)
  • The content is in relation to African History or Myth
  • Your content includes at least 2 pictures which should be included in the publication
  • Pictures are captioned
  • Pictures are used with permission (i.e. either free stock photos, photos with author attribution and permission or photos taken by you)
  • Any tribes or cultures featured are named (Avoid generalising regions and locations. We don't want to publish articles about 'African Myths' or 'African History' in general. Tell us about an Igbo myth specifically from Ohafia or dishes eaten by The Tswana Ethnic group etc.)
  • Your content is entirely your own work and not plagiarised
  • You have not used AI (artificial intelligence) sources to generate your written content. The use of AI for content on this platform is strictly prohibited
  • Where other work is referenced, it is attributed to the right sources
  • References are provided
  • The word count does not exceed 3000 words
  • You have reviewed our style guide
  • Please see our other published articles for reference

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We are doing our best to ensure that we inform all authors about the status of their submission as soon as we can. Typically, you will be contacted within 1-4 weeks to inform you if your submission was selected for publication or not.

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If you have any questions, contact us here.

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