Winner of the McKitterick Prize 2018Radio Sunrise paints a satirical portrait of (post) post-colonial Nigeria that builds on the legacy of the great African satirist tradition of Ngugi Wa Thiongo and Ayi Kwei Armah. 'Never cover an assignment without collecting a brown envelope, ' Boniface had said. 'It is a real life saver for all journalists in this country.' Ifiok, a young journalist working for the government radio station in Lagos, aspires to always do the right thing but the odds seem to be stacked against him. Government pressures cause the funding to his radio drama to get cut off, his girlfriend leaves him when she discovers he is having an affair with an intern, and kidnappings and militancy are on the rise in the country. When Ifiok travels to his hometown to do a documentary on some ex-militants' apparent redemption, a tragi-comic series of events will make him realise he is unable to swim against the tide. "What is left when there is no hope and everything is for sale? Isong weaves a profoundly personal story of contemporary Nigeria even while dealing with broader societal and cultural issues.
-Chika Unigwe, author of Black Messiah and Night Dancer