Akolade Bamidele: writing for the Duanju format, a school of narrative rigor

Journalist Blessing Azugama met with Akolade Bamidele, a Nigerian screenwriter who writes fiction in vertical format, to discuss how duanju concretely changes writing, how to capture attention, and the perspectives it opens up on the African continent.

In her view, duanju isn't simply a format constrained by length or the phone screen. It's primarily an opportunity for writers willing to abide by its rules. "If you know how to write for the vertical format, you're ready to write any screenplay," she explains. Vertical writing demands immediate rigor: each scene must have an impact, each line of dialogue must contribute to the narrative's progression, from the opening to the final cliffhanger.

Writing for mobile, she believes, begins with a central question: what is the character feeling in this scene, and why should the audience care? This emotional reflection precedes any technical construction. Once this foundation is laid, the episode is precisely structured, progressing through the opening, the build-up of tension, and then the emotional turning point that compels the viewer to want to see what happens next. Anything that doesn't contribute to the story is eliminated.

This demanding approach was instilled in her through a pivotal experience. On a mafia-style script she envisioned as fast-paced, the feedback was unequivocal: the story was too slow and didn't move forward. She had to rewrite it from scratch. "I might have felt like the story was moving quickly, but if the viewer isn't motivated to watch the next episode, then it doesn't work," she explains. Since then, she systematically rereads her scenes to ensure they advance the plot or reveal essential character traits. If not, they are cut.

This narrative discipline does not preclude cultural grounding; quite the contrary. Akolade Bamidele emphasizes the importance of writing stories connected to African realities, everyday emotions, and local contexts. For her, creativity lies in telling stories that speak directly to audiences, not by trying to reproduce external models, but by adapting the language of duanju to cultures and lived experiences.

She is optimistic about the future of Duanju in Africa. On a continent where the phone has become the primary screen, the mobile format seems a natural fit. "People wake up in the morning and the first thing they do is look at their phone," she observes. But for this potential to materialize, she identifies three essential conditions: training writers capable of writing for the vertical format, attracting investors and platforms willing to distribute this content, and fostering creativity rooted in local cultures.

For Akolade Bamidele, duanju is not a passing fad. It is a demanding learning ground and a credible way to tell African stories.

Interview conducted by Blessing Azugama.

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