Researcher · Writer · Spiritual Practitioner
Martha
Laraba
Sambe
At the Intersection of the Systemic and the Sacred
Economist, memoirist, medium, and advocate — weaving together structural research, spiritual sovereignty, and radical storytelling from Kaduna State, Nigeria, to the world.
Martha Laraba Sambe
“My work addresses the complexities of liberation by exploring the intersection of systemic structures and spirituality.”
My name is Martha Laraba Sambe. I am a researcher, writer, and spiritual practitioner from Southern Kaduna State, Nigeria, currently based in Germany. For over a decade, I have worked at the intersection of the political and the spiritual — two areas often seen as separate yet deeply connected in my experience.
The Systemic: As an economist, development researcher, and former columnist, I study the systemic structures that shape collective reality. I have contributed to research and archival projects, including documenting queer language in Nigeria with Obodo and Kampnagel; studies on South-South migration, gender-based violence, and electoral processes; and advocacy for women’s sexual and reproductive health. My research has sought to address the invisibility of marginalized groups by using data to make the unseen visible.
The Sacred: I have found that systemic change is incomplete without individual spiritual sovereignty and autonomy. Through Spring of Wellness and my work as a facilitator, I support a return to spirit-centeredness, emphasizing Traditional and Indigenous spiritual systems and technologies. For the African diaspora and other Indigenous peoples, a return to spirit-centeredness transcends modern wellness fads and holds the key to individual and collective healing. I am approaching nearly a decade as a Tarot Reader and have used Tarot to offer guidance and support to people at different stages of life. My Tarot practice is a sacred space for individuals to encounter their higher selves, which we are often disconnected from by the noise of the world.
The Creative: In addition to being a writer, I am a singer and performer. My debut memoir, Dear Bode: What the Fire Gave Me, is a series of letters exploring trauma, memory, identity, denial, and spiritual transcendence. In addition to being a memoirist, I am working on a poetry collection and various works of fiction at different stages of development.
In Summer 2026, I created and taught my first academic course, Liberation from the Inside Out: Realizing Personal Freedom for the Collective Good, at the University of Hamburg. The course brought together political theory, Indigenous philosophy, somatic practice, and contemplative traditions to help participants reclaim personal sovereignty and autonomy while understanding how that inner work serves the collective. Drawing on thinkers, writers, and poets such as Audre Lorde, Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Maya Angelou, and Gwendolyn Brooks, the course moved from the personal to the collective, tracing a path from integration to liberation.
Martha’s Work,
in Three Pillars
Examining and analyzing structures and systems that shape collective reality. Through works on queer language in Nigeria, patterns of migration in the global South, gender-based violence, and electoral processes.
Supporting a return to individual and collective wholeness and to spirit-centeredness — emphasizing Traditional and Indigenous systems and modalities.
Creating and nurturing dreamscapes through the written word, physical and vocal performances, and liminal spaces to encounter the unbounded self.
Dear Bode: What the
Fire Gave Me
“A compelling read for the radically honest and introspective.”
In a series of personal letters, Laraba unpacks various traumas and their consequences on her life and relationships as she makes sense of her place in the world. Dear Bode tackles personal and collective trauma, living as a queer woman in Nigeria, love, shame, resentment, rage, violence, and spiritual transcendence.
As she grapples with yet another traumatic incident, she is finally faced with the choice to stay the same or rise above. What she chooses — and how she arrives there — makes this unforgettable.
Work with Martha
Below, you can read about the services I offer and how to work with me.
Tarot Readings & Guidance Sessions
One-on-one sessions to gain clarity and receive support while navigating transitions, life’s big moments, or the often quiet yet confounding nebulousness of a threshold.
Facilitations & Workshops
Group spaces designed to hold difficult conversations, build collective understanding, and move communities toward personal and collective liberation.
Dreamscapes & Liminal Spaces
A retreat from the daily grind, digital distractions, and noise. A screen-free and agenda-free space, designed for participants to dream, nap, doodle, write, paint, knit, or engage in creative activities. Inspired by Tricia Hersey’s Nap Ministry.
Research &
Advocacy
Language Archive
Archiving Queer Language in Nigeria
With Obodo and Kampnagel — documenting and preserving queer linguistic heritage as an act of cultural sovereignty and visibility.
Visit ObodoMigration Research
South-South Migration Patterns
Peer-reviewed research examining migration flows within the Global South, centering the experiences of marginalized communities.
Read the PaperGender Justice
Gender-Based Violence & Women’s Reproductive Rights
Advocacy and research centering the health, safety, and agency of women — particularly in contexts where these are systematically denied.
Watch the DocumentaryDemocratic Processes
Electoral Research & Civic Advocacy
Examining electoral processes and advocating for systems that truly represent those they claim to serve — especially the invisible and the marginalized.
Watch the Documentary