From the very beginning, the goal of the NATIVE was to step into the gap and cover the entire breadth of African youth culture with rigour across a variety of mediums. The last five years have, without any doubt, borne witness to a period of  unparalleled and unassailable progress springing forth from across the continent. 

Whether it is the non-conformist propulsion of West Africa’s alté community or a new era of awareness around gender and sexual dynamics in many African countries, the last half-a-decade has been truly remarkable and, through it all, the NATIVE has continued to serve as the leadingscribe, keeping record of all these achievements, advancements, and, in some instances, letdowns.

No aspect of The NATIVE’s structure celebrates the totemic shift in perception and standing of African culture like our covers do. Debuting in 2017 with Burna Boy as our inaugural cover star, our covers have gone from stirring recognition of undeniable talents to undebatable markers of excellence, archiving the story of some of Africa’s biggest stars (WizMag, 2020), cogent connections in the diaspora (Damson Idris, 2021), and the sounds that are powering the new narratives of Africa (Sounds From This Side, 2021). 

The images that have adorned our covers–physical and digital–change with frequency but taken together they form a tapestry of the African story that we always believed in when this journey started half a decade ago. And yet, it’s just phase 1 of our journey to be the reliable pulse of the African millennial in all the matters that concern them, we still can–will–do more. Enjoy!