Okike begun in 1971 as a journal for new and established literary writers. These stories have been selected from ten years' contributions for their artistic merit and topicality. In a period of volatility - and remarkable productivity in literature, each story conveys a sense of the vast historical and social events that shaped the present, and by artistic means, contributes to the reader's understanding of wider social and political debates. In each story African life has some discernible significance; or the sensitivities or aspirationss of individual Africans are explored with seriousness. Since first publication, many of these writers have entered the canon or written classics - they include: Chinua Achebe, Ossie Onuora Enekwe, Nadine Gordimer, and Kole Omotoso. Every region of Africa is represented which, the editor suggest, indicates the unity of the African continent (and African literature) in its problems and defence of values, aspirations and spiritual commitments.