To define Nigeria is to tell a half-truth. Many have tried, but most have concluded that it is impossible to capture the true scope and significance of Africa’s most populous nation through words or images. Yet here, through personal essays from 24 of its writers, a more accurate picture comes into view, and in his essay, Nels Abbey scrutinizes contradiction, competition and characterization and brilliantly encapsulates his experiences of Nigeria and how his identity as a Nigerian has changed since childhood. Powerful, lyrical and entirely unforgettable, the essays from OF THIS OUR COUNTRY weave together a living portrait of Nigeria, one that is as beautiful as it is complex.