Belonging meant a betrayal of oneself. But, true belonging celebrates individuality. It creates a warm and inviting space, drawing out your true self and giving you comfort. You genuinely belong when being authentic is no longer a choice but your freedom.

So, why in the world do we want to know what the meaning of life is, and how do we even answer such a loaded question? Well, I’m only human, and I can’t answer this question either, but let’s face it, life can be confusing and overwhelming at times. Sometimes, we just need to step away from our daily routine and take a break to reflect on who we are, what we want, and where we’re going.

As the bus pulled to a stop, Nida slung her bag over her shoulder and shouted her thanks to the driver. Brown leaves crunched beneath her feet as soon as they made contact with the pavement. The sound followed her as she swiftly descended the street in the black of the night. Her eyes darted in every direction as the …

Welcome to the world, Final Girl. We offer you our warm, still-beating hearts on a platter.    This volume of TRAD Magazine features short horror fiction by queer and trans writers of color. This project contends that writing towards the monstrous, taboo, and grotesque can reveal and reckon with what it means to be human, and how we can differently examine …

Vampirism is the colloquial term they use to describe people who get infected by the virus. As cases surge in her community, Tally becomes one of the many people who develop a craving for raw meat. As her bloodlust intensifies and the government turns it back in the midst of the health crisis, Tally must reckon with the impossible choice between survival and the preservation of her own humanity.

AJ never paid much mind to the rumors that her mother’s estranged family were known to be powerful in the spirit world. But on AJ’s trip home to Bonny Island for the anniversary of her father’s death, the secrets and mysteries of the past begin to catch up with her.

The stench of burning meat still filled the halls of Foxgate House. You found yourself between its jaws, staring up at the high-vaulted ceilings and the pale tile that gleamed like moonlight. The House made the rest of the world seem drained of color. Every window on the first floor had been flung open to let out the smoke pouring …

 Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.  Asha finds herself deep within a forest, white knuckles clenched and sweat dripping down her brow. She winces at her stinging bare feet as they carry her over sharp thorns and tree roots overlapping the damp ground beneath her like an undercurrent. The light in the sky is void with a palpable darkness that threatens to …

As June, the month of Things Fall Apart was crawling into July, the Greater Igbo Nation Foundation joined voices with others including the Center for Memories, Enugwu, to remember and celebrate the epic novel Things Fall Apart written by the foremost father of African literature, Chinua Achebe, Ugonabu of blessed memories. Young Achebe had produced this epic work in 1958, …

I have lived only one life, yet it feels like I’ve lived four. Like a nomad, I’ve traveled around the world, making new lives in different countries. I’ve learned that my home is not only tied to a physical location but is also a product of the people around me.

On the other hand, I have completely shed the skin I have worn for most of my life, and sometimes I still feel naked. I no longer belong in the society I grew up in, and that can be extremely difficult to navigate.

Consequently, you have to be careful who you choose to belong to because, a lot of the time, we unconsciously end up sacrificing crucial parts of our identity to hold onto some warped sense of belonging.

What would life be like if to me I were true
If I embrace my form and being,
If I spend time within to understand the way I am feeling.

Home is not just what you make it, but most importantly, who you choose to make it with because, without my family, no place would feel like home. 

My sense of belonging arises with every whiff of aromatic caffeine. The bittersweet drink savors the truth of my home. It is astonishing yet comforting to experience the significant realization that we are the only people who get to exist as unique as ourselves.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MONEY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT Money in the form of currency has existed for at least 3000 years. Earlier, it used to exist in the form of coins. Now, paper bills are more common. Modern money is usually useless on its own, and this is one thing that makes it modern. Money in the form of currency …

During a hot summer day, a cheerful game of soccer was being played on the school field when my stomach turned in a way that was scary but not foreign. At the tender age of ten, I knew what that meant — I was going to be sick. Without excusing myself, I ran to the washroom just in time for …

Growing up in Nigeria, where mental illness is attributed to supernatural origins, really affected my understanding of this concept. I

As we contemplate the future, we envision evolution across various domains including communication, technology, and lifestyles. These advancements inspire optimism and excitement for what the future holds. However, the notion of the future may be difficult for the Black community to envision due to the impact of historical and current political structures that perpetuate white supremacy in both passive and …

Doctor, Lawyer,… If you were able to finish the sentence, you’ve probably heard a lecture or two from an older person in your life that was trying to steer you in “the right direction”. W

Halima’s Choice is not only a thought-provoking film as it blends culture and technology in a manner that provides space for social discussions through its reimagination of an African folktale, but it also showcases the significance of storytelling and the importance of upholding cultural customs.

By the year 2060, Nigeria will be almost completely unrecognizable from its former self. The once-decrepit infrastructure had been transformed into a futuristic dream world, powered entirely by solar energy

I share my brother’s tomb In our time apart, I hope for his arrival funeral With guns, green grass and loud hills We spend time along rocked, blued, edges Arms as balance Mine more, yours less Legs crossed like the skies we share Mine more  Yours less I present compost as an abolitionary imaginary. Where our collective is the recognition …

Humans are Omnivores. Anatomically, we can survive on both plant and animal products, which puts us on the third trophic level of the food chain. However, unlike other species that consume other organisms to move energy through the ecosystem and survive, humans have managed to intertwine food systems with cultural systems, self, and identity. How individuals eat and talk about …

Western jurisprudence conceives of individuals as atomistic actors that operate independently and are predominantly self-interested. In turn, a legal or juristic personality is understood as an entity other than a natural being that the law deems capable of upholding the rights, duties, and liabilities of a living person. This ideology, however, is problematic because it discounts the relationships that are …

As I write this my legs crossed on the chair   my fingers tap gently on a keyboard  my lips take alternative sips of orange juice and a berry smoothie  both reminding me that neither fruit was ripe or birthed from this soil I attempt to warm my hands in my partner’s comfy sweater it’s incredible how rubbing our hands together,  …

The freezing temperature of water is zero degrees Celsius. Mercury falls below this threshold; water molecules slow and coalesce into one solid structure. Ice will not form unless there is some sort of impurity in the water: specks of soil, bubbles of air. And so, in some cases water can remain in its liquid form at such low temperatures as …

White child runs through scenic fields collecting wildflowers and stones. White child swims in the lake by her family’s cottage. She slathers sunscreen on her arms so that she doesn’t get burnt.  Black child runs through concrete playgrounds and grips metal monkey bars. Black child spins under the water of her family’s water hose. Black child inhales exhaust from streetcars …

Amazi is Kinyrwandan for Water. Amanzi is IsiXhosa and IsiZulu for Water. Ama is Cherokee for Water. Madzi is Chichewa for Water. Omi is Yoruba for Water. Dlo is Haitian Creole for Water As I write this, I remember a question my professor posed to the class, “What is your gift to the Earth?”  This was after we discussed reciprocity …

Suburbia is no home for Black children, and neither are our cities. In the suburbs, they had us isolated, ridiculed and harassed. In the cities, they grouped us together, stole our neighbourhoods, and killed our communities. 

This is a review of Disney-Pixar’s new feature film. You’ve been forewarned so proceed with caution, a reflective approach and a critical eye.

DEAR GOD,  I wonder why we’re caught in this trap. The White man is not you, and you are not a White man. So why do we see White people as so high on a sociological scale even after being freed in body? I see why mental transformation in Romans 12:2 is so important. Not conforming to this world is …

The other night, I dreamt that my family was in Pakistan.My grandmother, brought back to life, was urging me to pray.She handed me a tasbeeh and told me to show it to my grandfather,transforming my acceptance of the beaded string into a promised prayer.After some time, I settled down and tried to pray, butI couldn’t remember the words I was …

I was 12 years old when I got beaten for the first time for the sake of God.  I remember standing on the prayer mat and refusing to pray. I was probably reading on my phone, waiting for the five minutes to pass so I can go back to doing the same thing but on my bed. My mother saw …

Some of us search for a deeper meaning in life while some simply abide by a religious path or a combination of both. We share a common trust that whether or not we meet God, even if we don’t believe in such an existence, that they will protect us and guide us through a righteous path. While some choose to …

Before tarot, before astrology, before therapy, music was the only medium I found solace in. Growing up as the oldest in a family of six, it quickly became clear that I had little space truly reserved for myself. When I needed to pour everything I was holding onto, I’d rely on my diaries. But those weren’t a comfort as much …

What is common sense if not the middle ground between two different views? And what happens when that middle ground is built on the thin ice of fear?  Flashback to September 11 2001, a day I wouldn’t remember but the world would never forget. The twin towers fell and so did the idea of a middle ground. Islamophobia is not …

That was a message I got on a dating site. Someone, let’s call him Mr. Hinge, brought up the fact that I filled out the section for a cause that I care about with Race and LGBTQ2S+ rights . He then threw Bible verses at me about how homosexuality is unnatural and a sin, how LGBT+ people are going to …

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven” (Luke 21: 10-12).  For many religious and non-religious people alike, the unprecedented times that we are currently facing may feel like the …

Scene 1: Men are like wolves, they enjoy the night and prey on the weak The moon begs them to stop howling at it, feels a false praise  As it tries to light the way home for people like me  For gentle people, who forget stars are dead Who live in the moment, and try to forget the ones that …

When someone asks me how I identify myself I may say Canadian.This will always lead them to ask, “But where are you really from?” If I go to the generation before me, I would once again say that my mother was also born and raised in Canada.  Deeper.  I would finally explain that my grandparents are from Jamaica.  Jamaica explains …

You hop off the hover-monorail and onto the misty platform with shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. The doors slide closed behind you and the hover-monorail starts up again, floating along its path and into the distance. You are alone. Your face finally meets the sunlight. Your silver earrings shimmer in one of autumn’s first sunrises and you breathe in the …

I was five years old when I visited Ghana for the first time. I don’t remember much, but the few memories I have are strong. The smell was the first thing I remember noticing when we came off the plane. It’s a warm, tropical, almost smoky smell that’s hard to describe, but it smells like home. I remember seeing myself …

Wáwòyí had been defeated. They say that Life is mysterious and that she chooses to bless and curse on a whim. For the entirety of Wáwòyí’s life, he had only experienced curses. From birth he had been unfortunate; to bring him into this world, his mother had sacrificed her life. If Life was kind, she would have made him a …

Dear Vabereke (Elders), I am certain that I do not have to introduce myself, but I feel some formalities may be in order. I am you, all together in one form, I am Zimbabwe, but I was known by other names in your time and the time before. I must acknowledge our family ancestors, tribal ancestors, and national ancestors of …

This grief is limitless. She sees it extending endlessly into her future, she recognises it in her past. There’s a sadness she used to find impossible to explain, but now she recognizes it as this very grief. It is out of her control, a force from within that has formed into a partner she finds herself in some sick marriage …

Enter any Muslim household regardless of nationality, and you are bound to come across some representation of Islamic art. Maybe Turkish biomorphic motifs inspired by flowers on a Turkish vase in a kitchen, Moorish tessellations on ceramics varied in geometric patterns and colors in a washroom, or South and Southeast Asian symmetrical wooden Jali carvings on furniture or window screens …

In the beginning, God made Adam, then from his rib Eve, and after a couple of sins, humanity arrived at the ineffable truth that 1+1 = 2, that there is such thing as “zero”, and we no longer needed God, for we had Math, the absolute authority on “fact” and correspondingly, our reality. To my mother’s great dismay, however, I …

In stacks of one-dirham notebooks with plastic covers, Haboba keeps track of things. Accompanied by a classic CASIO calculator, scrap paper from knitting print-outs and a pen, she documents anything that can be quantified. She has kept track of her life as our family expanded in numbers and scattered across countries. At some point, the calculator became redundant. She says …