Mazzi Odu

The KLF Box Library Project is still on the move, bringing books, stories, and moments of joy to children in hospitals. This year, in partnership with @ourrealityinitiaitive ,we’re taking the project to children at Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Last year, amazing authors like @mazziodu showed up to read to the children, and it made all the difference. Can you guess who will be joining us this year? Would you like to be part of the story too? You can donate books, sponsor this project, or partner with us. 📚 KLF

"The connection I have with pearls keeps changing" shares Melanie Georgacopoulos in an interview with yours truly in @wallpapermag (link in bio) Entitled Eclipse, her inagural high jewellery collection is a mic drop of ideas and Illustrative or Georgacopoulos' design ethos of fearless precision. The first two slides show how monochromatic palettes are anything but bore snore and if you add hardstones to the party something entirely new is evoked. But back to the quote which had me reminiscing over my own relationship with her work. As a girl from the Pearl of Africa (AKA 🇺🇬), pearls were destined to be on my jewels and gemstones radar and since the seminal' Sliced Necklace from her graduate show Georgacopoulos hasn't stopped. From the Ebulliment Bangle who's form and freshwater pearl placement is reminiscent of an indulgent bubble bath, to the Embedded Bangle. an uber-luxe mother of pearl cushion of a piece, set with pear shaped diamonds to the V Signet ring which features fishbone mother of pearl and diamonds, her work maintains the highest conceptual values. The Bubble ring featuring a Tahitian pearl and the Carat Pearl, Diamond and mother of pearl earrings are indicative of a jewellery designer whose work is not only ever evolving but also possesses playfulness and a lightness of touch and wonde, equivalent to a long married couple who still have first date feels on a Friday night. I close out the carousel with necklaces, because say pearls and that is what normally comes to mind. The rectangle necklace, is the kind of jewelry-art-Architecture hybrid few would dare to make. The Katina Necklace shows how beyond mother of pearl, Georgacopoulos continues to chart new material discourses; this time wifh Quahog Clam shell, creating a compelling case byproduct to be brought further centre stage. I close with my favourite piece to date, the Nacre Necklace. The mother of pearl and pearl together, an allegory of nurture and a maestro who knows her craft and instrument intimately and continues to enthrall us all. #mazzimusings #melaniegeorgacopoulos #wallpapermagazine #highjewellery

A new generation will always bring a culture shift! In Afrocrats, Odu starkly brings out themes of Power, Identity, Inheritance in contemporary Africa. She takes us through the corridors and behind the scenes and closed doors of the most influential persons in this fictional Nigeria Are you ready for this drama? @narrativelandscape @brittlepaper @opencountrymag @wegandareview #afrocrats #politicalfiction #africanfiction

🇳🇬 MAZZI ODU for 🇿🇦 The African Imaginary at Ake Book Festival 🇳🇬⁠ ⁠ How we enjoyed our exchange with the whip-smart, articulate and beautifully poised Mazzi Odu at Ake Book Festival in Lagos last November. ⁠ ⁠ Mazzi Odu is a writer, editor and creative consultant based in Lagos Nigeria. Of Ugandan descent, she writes extensively on jewellery and design and has an online platform and podcast, Magnus Oculus (@magnus.oculus ), where she amplifies the works of creatives at the vanguard of their fields, with a special focus on those from the Global South and its diaspora. Her work has also appeared in some of the world's leading publications, and she has lent her voice to a number of international conferences and symposia.⁠ ⁠ She has recently published her first children's book 'Get Rid of Your Phone Mummy.' Odu believes stories are the way we best make sense of the world we are in today and craft a better one for tomorrow.⁠ ⁠ Here are her 5 Favourites:⁠ ⁠ 1. Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde (Nigeria)⁠ 2. The Transcendant Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana)⁠ 3. Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria)⁠ 4. Modern Poetry From Africa edited by Gerald Moore (United Kingdom)⁠ 5. So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ (Senegal)⁠ ⁠ '5 Favourites' is our much-loved regular, where a reader or writer speed-dates us through her favourite African books, so that you can expand your own literary horizons.⁠ * ⁠ Interested in becoming a video reviewer? Our reviewers are based around the continent, and are African book lovers of different genres. Because we love compelling Books content, we have a small budget for video reviewers. DM us to find out about joining the community!⁠ ⁠ #theafricanimaginary #africanliterature #africanwriting #booktok

As a historian by training, and a storyteller at heart, dates and the potential meanings that lie within are never far away from thought. And so it was a year ago today, when my children's book, Get Rid Of Your Phone Mummy was launched. Of all the days, International Women's Day? But look a little closer and it all makes sense. The book's genesis came from my own lived experience; freelance writer, school aged daughter, a good 60% of my work (interviews, editorial meetings and the rest) conducted on the phone and the desire to be present rather than to be presenteeism crew. But as any mother will attest, the work juggle struggle is very real. The story's four protagonists, are all female, an important corrective, as in many children's stories (especially ones featuring fairies) centering women without a handsome prince to ride off in the sunset with is the exception rather than the rule. It feels almost inevitable that the book would find a home at Ouida with publisher, @lolashoneyin an OG advocate of female authors, African children's literature and female led stories bringing her breadth of experience to the process. That the illustrator was another female force @adulphina was the chef's kiss. Thank you Lola for taking a punt on this story. A year on, and it remains a privilege to write full time and to be part of important conversations via the words and worlds I craft, and when I'm in journalist mode, chronicle design and creative excellence. #givetogain this year's #iwd2026 theme hits on many fronts, as whatever we have, it is ours to give. Give our time, our stories, our follies now viewed with a lens of wisdom, our courage, advice and our hearts most of all. #mazzimusings #author #childrensauthor

#worldbookday @grangeschoolnigeria was an absolute delight! Last year, I had the honour of participating in the Primary School assembly, this year the whole school gathered to experience the power of telling and owning our stories. It was wonderful to be sharing the mic with @ugoanidi an incredible children's author who I met on these Storytellers-of-Lagos streets. If you have a small person in your life, rush and grab a copy of Half Hour Hara and her latest, The Missing Chicken, future classics both. But back to Grange and the World Book Day activation; the musical interludes performed by the children were a delight. As for having all the children parade as their favourite characters? Genius. The kind of community driven, interactive activation that is needed, especially when the battle against the screen, whatever your age, (if you haven't already grab a copy of Get Rid Of Your Phone Mummy and watch your little one call you out with their full chest afterwards), is very real and is robbing us of so much. Props and applause to Mrs Ekefre, head librarian and head teachers Mrs Igbokwe (Primary) and Mr McMahon (Secondary) for making this an essential day in the school calendar. The irony of writing this all on IG is not lost on me, but books allow us to experience so much and require effort rather than the quick dopamine hit of a hot post or reel. Through books, you discover new places, yes, but they also allow us to articulate feelings, widen perspectives and identify the unsaid with what is said on the page. And perhaps most pertinent of all they give us another way to see; our potential, our foibles, our dreams, and that every moment can be a defiant closing paragraph or an dynamic opening chapter to the new. #mazzimusings #authorlife

"I think jewellery making is never a solitary thing. It is a dialog at every single level. From research, design development and material sourcing to finishing a piece" shares Hanan Sultan, a jewellery designer who carries her Omani heritage and fuses it with inspiration, knowledge and expertise she has gleaned from the other two locations she calls home; Dubai and London. If that has whetted your appetite sufficiently, head to my other handle @magnus.oculus where she is our latest #magnusoculusredux But back to Sultan's statement which is as much her design philosophy as it is a keen observation. Noting how hair ornaments were more often than not barely commensurate to the crowning glories they adorned, she chose to create an elevated yet functional collection of hair clips. Gold plated (and thus light), set with rubies or gemstone free, and sublimely crafted, they are the perfect modern punctuation point to any hair style or indeed hair type. Not content with one seismic jewellery disruption, she went in for a second. Researching the matrimonial rites of Oman, she saw the central role Frankincense played, and this became the genesis for a collection that centered Frankincense as the principal material used in the jewels, with pearls and gold playing a supporting role. Upending ideas of intrinsic value as well as creating a multifunctional jewel, with the body's natural heat allowing the jewels to emit the distinctive scent organically, she further expanded how we interact with jewellery. Adding our olfactory sense to sight and touch with elan. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, there's a lot of buzz around Sultan, whose star is clearly in ascendant. Possessing the winning combination of rigour, humility and curiosity indicates that this is a designer that will continue to surprise and enthrall in years to come.And for us jewellery enthusiasts, this is very good news. #mazzimusings #magnusoculus #hanansultan #finejewellery

January began with a deep and meaningful conversation with jewellery designer Hannah Tomoko and I am delighted to announce that she is the first #magnusoculusredux of 2026! For those not familiar with my other handle @magnus.oculus head there and thank me later if you love reading about seminal creative minds and their practices. "For me the way that I work is full of failure. It's a lot of experimentation and there is no aesthetically pleasing sketchbook or mood board that goes with it" Tomoko shares. Instead what one sees, is what loving, learning about, playing with and crafting from metal looks like. From a curious childhood memory of "as a kid there were these cute baby swings that I remember licking the steel chains of, very much to my Mum's frustration", to a seminal trip to Paraguay after high school where she first encountered filigree and fell in love with jewellery making, Tomoko's intention, (that is also declared on her own handle) of creating "elegant statement jewellery" is paramount. With study (she holds a PhD), travel, displacement and loss also informing her process and body of work thus far. Linea, the collection from which these images are taken has evolved into an ongoing thesis. Filigree which has its roots in Ancient Mesopotamia in 3000 BC, traveled across the Mediterranean and trade routes in Africa in the interim millennia and onwards courtesy of the 16th Century Conquistadors to South America where Tomoko first encountered it, has long been regarded as a difficult technique to master. In Tomoko's hands she approached it "with the curiosity and openness I had as a child." From developing designs in copper first before making in silver or gold to trying on the pieces herself, her principal aim is to create future heirlooms. "It might be a bit old fashioned, a bit classical, but I do believe true elegance and style needs to ripen I don't think it is about trends, it evolves with maturity of both mind and body." Tomoko asserts. And in the first month of a new year it is a mantra to consider. One where age is acknowledged, newness eschewed and the quest for what endures upheld. #mazzimusings #hannahtomoko #magnusoculus #jewellery

Christmas came early and severally for me this year. First in February, when my children's book, Get Rid Of Your Phone Mummy was published, then over the following months there were school visits, book club readings, media rounds across all formats and an exciting first for me, speaking at literary festivals - where just twelve months prior I'd been an engaged (and let's keep it 💯, prayer filled) attendee - hoping I'd have a book to be speaking on too in the near future. Which brings me neatly to the picture accompanying this post: taken @africanimaginary dinner held in collaboration with @akefestival . Hardly surprising my smile is so wide when essentially everything I'd been working towards had come to fruition. A massive thank you to @lolashoneyin and @itsgeorgiablack for inviting me to have a seat at the table, and to be part of an awesome community of creative souls. I take none of it for granted. And a shout out to @victoradewale_ for schooling me on angles so the overall effect was pleasing. And to my jewellery fam intel seekers, the earrings are by the phenomenal @theresia_kyalo . No style gatekeeping on these streets! As well as writing about many amazing jewellers this year, I also delved deeper into the realm of design, highlighting practitioners who have either been quietly pushing the envelope for decades or new entrants boldly redefining things on their own terms. And there has been a big toe dipped into planet fashion once more, as in Africa and the rest of the world there were too many seismic and aesthetically arresting shifts to ignore. And then there is literature, always the mood music, even if it's been a minute between my first book and my second. So where to put this all without it feeling a tad discombobulated for the quick reader? Well, Magnus Oculus remains long-form, artist focused and entirely design in all its iterations led. But there is also my Substack, MazziMusings, a little bit more free-form, a place where all my passions will collide, crazy-but-tasty-buffet styles, and where I implore you all to join me. Link in the Bio. Happy Christmas one and all and see you in 2026! #mazzimusings

Insightful author @mazziodu talks to us about her book reading session and the engaging, interactive discussion she shared with children around her featured book 'Get Rid of Your Phone Mummy'. #ACBF #ACBF2025 #FestivalReview #AkadaFestival #ChildrensBookFestival #MazziOdu #GetRidOfYourPhoneMummy #Iwemi #BookReadingSession

How do you make a victory lap inclusive? By inviting the audience to do the same. A Love Letter To Me, the title of the latest collection from @tiffanyamberng was both ethereal and emphatic. Holding space for romancing the self and tensioning those streets. An elegant elucidation of knowing your worth came in the opening look: a reworking of the business staple, the pinstripe suit, and yet the hand embroidered flowers hint at not waiting for external validation - wear your flowers and don't delay dammit! The cape line silhouette of the jacket acknowledges the superhero juggle that is the working woman's lot - but that slinky silk blouse underneath is 100% sexy softness. This is not about apeing masculinity but being structured AND feminine. This is not Folake Akindele's first rodeo, and as only a grand-dame of the industry can, she provided the sort of setting that was giving Gilded Age in the Tropics energy. A floral bordered catwalk, a solo violinist to welcome guests, wicker chairs with a thoughtful handfan should the heat oppress and a note that simply stated "It's not a trend, it's a mindset, an attitude, a lifestyle" . In essence this was what happens when 27 years later you're still standing and more pertinently addressing the challenge of appealing to OG clients and attracting new ones. She achieved this by leaning into her established house codes and simultaneously offering a fresh take. Chiffon and Adiire the calling cards since 1998 are now fashioned into dresses with couture worthy craft at their heart. From a dramatic sleeved Adiire gown, to trimmed with flowers and beading coats to the multicolored show stopper of a floor length hand sewn floral gown that closed the show, we witnessed craft elevated moments aplenty. Meanwhile the now firmly in the maison's design universe Faari bag came in classic aso'oke and sisal iterations and mini-dresses and luxe beach cover-ups were also an opportunity for the atelier to flex its skill muscles with aplomb. Closing with I'm Every Woman, Akindele declares we should do the same: poised, powerful, flirtatious, it's all in you and TA has the 'fits for you too! #mazzimusings #tiffanyamber

What a day! The Kid Lit Fest more than delivered on fun, joy and laughter (and that was just for us guest authors), and was a powerful exposition of building a festival where the children are front and centre! Side bar; clowns on unicycles are my new non-negotiable for parties. Thank you Sope for inviting me to be part of the fun and for adding to the children's enjoyment calendar. Why should grown ups have all the fun in December anyway? Reading my book to small humans is one of my favourite things. Their collective delight at the prospect of a phone free day with Mummy, towers of puff-puff that reach the sky and dipped and ready for action fairies from the South-South never gets old for me (or them) and sharing space with young readers in the Book Cafe was magical. It was also lovely to spend time with an inspiring cadre of children's writers. Madam-Of-The-Hour and casually brilliant polymath Sope Martins was not only the mastermind of proceedings but also author extraordinaire, a dynamc leader of an older kids workshop and hostess with the mostest the rest of the time. Elizabeth-Irene Baitie pulled up from Accra and was the kind of much needed exposition of successful, brilliant, generous and open that is rare in a highly decorated author. Tonye and Simone are always a vibe, and it was great watching, learning and taking mental notes during the fireside chat between Sope, Elizabeth-Irene, Ugo and Ayo. Writing for the next generation is a lot trickier than one might think. Kids are ruthless if they think a story is dull or of little consequence, young adults don't take kindly to cheesy sermonizing and the ecosystem in Africa, though thankfully growing, needs more hands on deck. But where there's a will there is definitely a way. If you're reading this and the FOMO factor is rising, the good news is there are smaller activations throughout the year so head to KLF's page and make sure your small crew don't miss out. Signing out on my Literary Festival Adventures for 2025, roll on (by God's grace) 2026! #mazzimusings #author #kidslitfest