This September, Archivi.ng is inviting you to The August Event (yes, in September), a two-day, immersive gathering for everyone who cares about the Nigerian context. It happens on September 6 and 7, 2025, marking the beginning of what we intend to make an annual tradition.

Since going live with the archives in October 2023, we’ve digitised nearly 200,000 pages of newspapers and magazines covering the period from the 1960s to 2010. Researchers have unearthed forgotten facts, PhDs have stretched beyond the textbook, and everyday readers have stumbled on stories that make history feel alive again. But the deeper we dig, the clearer one thing becomes: we must do more.

That’s why we’re launching The More Things Change.

It’s our two-year initiative to deconstruct Nigeria’s cycles of repetition; we’re going beyond what happened to ask why it keeps happening. Why do strikes by health workers and lecturers return like clockwork? Why do we wait around for floods every season? This is about turning history into a tool: not just seeing what went wrong, but why it repeats, and perhaps, how we might break the cycle.

But this first August Event is also so much more.

On day one, other things you’ll be experiencing at the event include:

• A demo of a new way to use Archivi.ng and find historical context faster and more deeply than ever.
• The launch of our Oral History project, a critical next step in our digitisation work to collect and preserve the lived experiences of our elders.
• The introduction of Archivi.ng Memberships, an opportunity for you to help us keep the archives alive, unlock full context access and other benefits.

On day two, we’ll be presenting the work of our inaugural Fellowship Cohort, who spent six months digging into the archives to produce projects that give us a window into the past, and sometimes connect us to the present. There’s a documentary, first-person accounts from Nigerian icons, an animated short, and even a podcast.

You’ll get the chance to meet the fellows from the last cohort, hear us talk about our learnings, and be first in line as we announce the details of the next cohort. Hint: a lot is changing.

The August Event is an invitation to you: the researcher, storyteller, technologist, backer, enthusiast, or just the curious, to learn how we’re thinking about the future of memory.

We can’t wait to welcome you. RSVP now to join us on September 6 and 7. Seats are limited.