Selome Medemaku is a Nigerian writer and currently a master’s student in French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. His academic and creative journey are shaped by a passion for storytelling.
Growing up in Badagry, Nigeria, he grew up surrounded by books from authors like Tom Clancy, Daniella Steel, Francine Rivers, Chinua Achebe, Brain Jacques and Wole Soyinka. This early literary immersion and his grandfather’s evening storytelling sessions became the foundation that shaped his voice as a storyteller.
Before coming to UF, Selome worked as an editor and writer for Grecian Publishers and Sublime Freelance Agency. Over the years, his passion matured into a commitment to using literature as a medium of exploring questions of power, identity and silence, especially within African and postcolonial contexts. These same themes form the foundation of his current research which focuses on the poetics of the imaginary and the subversion of social structures in the poetry of Ivorian writer, Tanella Boni.
As a writer, he has published a novel, Sidney: The Emergence of a Hero (London, 2020), contributed to SprinNg’s Afro-Eros Anthology, To Borrow Screams from the Atmosphere (2021), appeared on African Writers and Afropoésie for his poetry and he was a finalist for the 2024 Quramo Writers’ Prize for his manuscript, “The Worst Nightmare”, a work that explores the reality of child trafficking and migration in the African Society.
The Throne of Silence
In a land once full of promise, silence became the people’s refuge but also their undoing. The Throne of Silence is an intense political tragedy that explores the collapse of a kingdom where voices are stifled, truth is drowned and power feeds on the inaction of the masses. When leadership turns silent and the people turn away, who bears the weight of the aftermath?
Structured for stage performance, the play unfolds across multiple scenes and locations, giving directors creative freedom while maintaining costume continuity for simplicity in production. Thought-provoking and atmospheric, the play is both timely and timeless. The Throne of Silence is a mirror to the present, challenging its readers/audiences to question what happens when speaking out becomes too costly and staying silent becomes fatal.
Links:
The Throne of Silence: https://www.amazon.com/Throne-Silence-play-SELOME-MEDEMAKU/
Sidney: The Emergence of a Hero: https://www.amazon.com/SIDNEY-Medemaku-Lawrence-Selome-ebook/ https://www.africanwriter.com/for-nita-poetry-by-medemaku-selome-lawrence/