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Contact: Oyeshola Oloyede | comms@bookbuzzfoundation.org | +234(0)8180389525

 

AKÉ FESTIVAL IS BACK WITH A BLAST on 20 - 23 November 2024

The 12th edition of the Aké Arts and Books Festival will take place on 20-23 November 2024. The festival will be held in GRA Ikeja, Lagos. Authors, poets, artists, storytellers, dancers, actors, musicians and thinkers from Africa and beyond will converge for three days of cultural immersion.

 

Theme

Our 2024 theme is Finding Freedom which focuses on struggles and triumphs happening around the world today. Aké Review, our event publication presents new writing and art exploring the complexities of conflicts, choices, freedom, togetherness and loss in our world today.

 

Inspiring Panel Discussions

Visitors to the Aké Festival will experience stimulating panel discussions with eminent guests on topics such as Demystifying Cancer, featuring Wole Soyinka, Gloria Akwu, and remembering the late Tayo Agunbiade; Documenting New Voices, a conversation with several groundbreaking African publishers; and Making a Case for Democracy with Juliet Riddell, Erica Benner, and Aditi Mittal—who were commissioned by the Financial Times to create mini-documentaries on democracy across their continents. The documentary film on Democracy was recently awarded the LOVIE gold Award. Spreading the Magic of Books and Reading celebrates “bookstagrammers” as vital contributors to the publishing ecosystem, promoting African literature and enhancing the reading culture on the continent.

Other panels include Let the Music Move You, Curating Black Culture, and Finding Freedom, where guests from countries currently facing crises, such as DRC, Palestine, and Ukraine, will share recent moving firsthand experiences. These conversations will ensure that attendees leave the Aké Festival feeling more connected to global experiences.

 

Book Chats

We are excited to present ten book chats featuring in-depth interviews with leading African writers to explore their latest offerings full of unforgettable characters, and magical worlds. Multi-award winning author Nnedi Okorafor will be at Ake Festival this year, along with Nnamdi Ehirim who has just released The Brevity of Beautiful Things, published by Ouida Books, and Erhu Kome whose latest mix of Urhobo and West African folklore is titled The smoke That Thunders. With the surge in interest in children’s literature, we’ll host a book chat with children’s authors, including Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie, author of Ugo and Sim Sim Learn About Down Syndrome, and Bunmi Emenanjo, author of I’ll See You in Ijebu, published this year in the US.

Our romance selection has expanded, featuring authors like Fatima Bala, author of Broken: Not a Halal Love Story, and Timendu Aghahowa, author of The Bishop’s Prodigal Daughter.

Other authors we are honoured to host this year include, Umar Abubakar Sidi, Abi Dare, Maame Blue, Sue Nyathi, Aiwanose Odafen, Florence Olajide, Foluso Agbaje, Shubnum Khan, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Kayode Ani, Jordan Ifueko, Musih Tedji Xaviere, Shani Akilah, and Bunmi Aboderin Talabi.

 

Film Screening

This year, Aké Festival will celebrate cinematic excellence from South Africa with a film created by a mother-daughter duo. Producers Nombeko Nontshokweni and Sihle Nontshokweni will join Angela Wachuka to discuss the making of uNOBUNTU.

 

Palmwine & Poetry Night

The enchanting Palmwine and Poetry segment is the highlight of our annual festival. This dynamic blend of cultural elements fuses the refreshing tang of palm wine with the energising artistry of performance poetry to create an exhilarating evening for our festival-goers. Attendees can look forward to captivating performances by Wana Udobang, Abileola Soyinka, Albert Morisseau Leroy, Taofeek Ayeyemi, Ruth Mahogany, Najwan Darwish, Timi Sanni, Umar Abubakar Sidi and Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi. Festival director Lola Shoneyin will host this segment.

 

Comedy & Music Night

Known for its commitment to showcasing diverse and outstanding talent, we eagerly anticipate the evening of laughter featuring Aditi Mittal, a prominent comedian and actress from India. The festival will also captivate audiences with musical brilliance as singer-songwriter Falana performs beloved classics from the coast of West Africa.

 

Bedtime Stories

This year marks our first bedtime stories series at Aké. Some of our favourite authors have sent us audio recordings of them reading from their books. These will be played to sooth our audiences at the end of each day, as they depart for their bedrooms. Featured authors include Windham-Campbell Prize winner Kathryn Scanlan; Jennifer Makumbi, and Fatima Bala, author of one of Nigeria’s most trending novels.

This year’s Festival is in Partnership with Sterling Bank and Open Society Foundation

Aké Arts & Book Festival is delighted to partner in 2024 with Sterling Group and Open Society Foundation (OSF) who have consistently supported our goal of celebrating and promoting creativity, while facilitating discussions that empower the arts.

 

Venue

BON Hotel Ikeja Residence

51 Sobo Arobiodu Street

Ikeja GRA, Lagos

Nigeria

 

Registration

Registration is ongoing for this year’s festival, and attendees can register on the festival’s website: www.akefestival.org.