Ezra Collective drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso is guest-editing this week's Guardian Saturday magazine culture section, using his editor's letter to argue for hope despite widespread reasons for pessimism about the UK and the world. Koleoso, raised in Enfield to Nigerian parents, reflects on his unconventional path from church drumming to touring musician, radio broadcaster and DJ, framing his takeover as a chance to share stories and culture that have brought him from pain to joy.

He draws on his band's new album, Here Because of Hope, and a definition of hope offered by actor Letitia Wright as the belief that renewal can follow pain. Koleoso illustrates this through music history, citing Fela Kuti's song about his mother's killing becoming a club anthem, grime music emerging from council estate hardship, and calypso's roots in the transatlantic slave trade. The takeover also features cultural picks from his Ezra Collective bandmates, a profile of photographer Temi Adegbayibi, and Koleoso's own recommendations, including the film The Secret Agent.