Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Yemisi Ajetunmobi | comms@bookbuzzfoundation.org | +234(0)8180389525

 

AKÉ FESTIVAL IS BACK WITH A BLAST on 20 - 22 November 2025

The 13th edition of the Aké Arts and Books Festival will take place on 20-22 November 2025. The festival will be held in GRA Ikeja, Lagos. Authors, poets, artists, storytellers, thinkers, film producers, musicians and thinkers from Africa and beyond will converge for three days of cultural immersion.

 

Theme

Our 2025 theme is Reclaiming Truth, which urges us to rediscover the power of authenticity and the courage of integrity in a time when misinformation spreads faster than facts, and narratives are engineered to obscure realities. Aké Review, our event publication, presents new writing and art that interrogate truth, challenge dominant narratives, and reflect on how we construct meaning in an increasingly polarized world.

Inspiring Panel Discussions

Visitors to Aké Festival will experience a series of stimulating panel discussions featuring eminent guests. Conversations include “Whose Truth Is It Anyway?”, featuring leading authors and thinkers; “The Stories That Matter,” with Mazzi Odu, Paul Okuego, Kiisa Soyinka, and Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie—authors of children’s books; and “The Rise of Romance,” with Fatima Bala, Adesuwa Nwokedi, and Oreva Olujimi.

In “What Is Truth?”, Adania Shibli, Kunle Ajibade, and Dr. Olaokun Soyinka explore the nuances of truth and authenticity. Other panels include “Global Media and Selective Empathy,” featuring Adrian Harewood, Zeinab M. Salih, and Jonas Kiriko, moderated by Joseph Ike, as well as “Mainstream Media and the Loss of Trust,” with Tolu Ogunlesi, Colombe Schneck, and Myroslav Laiuk.

The festival will also host “Why Speculative Fiction Matters,” highlighting the genre’s power to reimagine reality and challenge perceptions. Together, these conversations will ensure that attendees leave Aké Festival feeling inspired, reflective, and more connected to global experiences.

Book Chats

We’re thrilled to present nine Book Chats at this year’s Ake Festival, featuring in-depth conversations with leading African and international writers whose latest works transport readers into unforgettable worlds full of memory, meaning and magic.

Multi-award-winning author Bernardine Evaristo will be joining us, along with Adania Shibli, the acclaimed Palestinian writer, and Nkereuwem Albert, whose debut novel The Bone River, published by Ouida Books, is set in Calabar and explores the power that flows through ancient bloodlines and the secrets of the Four Houses ruling the unseen.

We will also host a special Book Chat around one of Ouida Books’ bestsellers, Mrs Kuti, a memoir of Remilekun Kuti, the wife of Fela Kuti, featuring Femi Kuti, Yeni Kuti, and Made Kuti.

Our Romance Book Chat lineup expands this year to include Fatima Bala, author of Broken: Not a Halal Love Story, who will present her latest novel Hafsatu Bebi, and Bolu Babalola, the romconnoisseur herself, with her new book Sweet Heat.

We are also honoured to host Alain Mabanckou, Bofane In Koli, Louisa Onomé, Femi Kayode, Olufemi Terry, Olayinka Yaqub, Marvellous Michael, Iris Mwanza, Andie Davis, and Lola Shoneyin, who recently won the Akada Children’s Book of the Year Award for Tunde the Chess Champion, illustrated by K. R. Onimole and inspired by the life of Tunde Onakoya.

Film Screening

This year, Aké Festival will celebrate cinematic excellence from Nigeria with a film that resonates with the festival theme. Producers Ema Edosio and Adebayo Oduwole will screen their film When Nigeria Happens and afterwards engage in a conversation with Omotoke Solarin Sodara.

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 Momtaza Mehri, Yashika Graham, Maryam Bukar, Abubakar Umar Sidi, Dami Ajayi, Chukky Ibe, Zaynab Bobi and Bash Amuneni.
This segment will be hosted by Wana Udobang.

Music Night

The festival is set to captivate audiences with musical brilliance as The Recurrence, a boy band formed in Lagos by three young music graduates, fills the atmosphere with uplifting and inspiring classics from the coast of West Africa.

Bedtime Stories

This year marks our second Bedtime Stories series at Aké. Audio recordings of two of our guests reading from their books will be played to soothe audiences at the end of each day as they head to their bedrooms. Featured authors include Fatima Bala, author of one of Nigeria’s most trending novels, and Adedapo Adeniyi, a filmmaker.

This year’s Festival is in Partnership with Sterling Bank, Lagos State Government and Open Society Foundation

Aké Arts & Book Festival is delighted to partner in 2025 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

Online registration for this year’s festival has started. Attendees can register on the festival’s website at www.akefestival.org or come to the venue to register and attend.