Booker-prize winning author, Ben Okri will headline Africa Writes 2015. Now in its fourth year, Africa Writes is the UK’s largest festival and celebration of African literature. Okri, who recently and controversially challenged the perception of black writers in his article titled ‘A mental tyranny is keeping black writers from greatness’ in December 2014, will share his reflections on the theme ‘Meditations on Greatness’, before joining editor and critic, Ellah Allfrey in conversation on Saturday 4th July. The festival will run from Friday 3rd July – Sunday 5th July.
Well known London based curator and journalist Hannah Pool will host the much anticipated ‘African Books to Inspire’, joined by a selection of writers from Africa39, part of the Hay Festival’s worldwide 39 PROJECT. Offering readers a distinctively ‘non-Eurocentric’ take on books that inspire and shape society, African Books to Inspire will be a lively conversational journey through African literature titles, ranging from classics to new work. The shortlisted writers for The Caine Prize 2015, one of the most prestigious prizes for African short fiction, will be among the author appearances, one week before the Prize winner is expected to be announced.
Showcasing both established and new voices in contemporary African writing including Jackie Kay, Petina Gappah, Kwasi Kwarteng and A. Igoni Barrett, other events throughout the weekend include conversations on cutting-edge topics from romance in the digital age to literary magazines, a staged reading of Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s acclaimed play Sunday, a powerful exploration of love between Nigerian women, sexuality and religion. Africa Writes’ popular annual translation symposium in collaboration with SIDENSI will this year focus on love, inspired by the widely praised multi-lingual Valentine’s Day Anthology by Ankara Press.
This year Africa Writes aims to increase the event’s potential as a platform to discover new writing talent by giving unsigned authors a rare opportunity to pitch unpublished work to people in the industry in a dragon’s den style event, ‘Meet the Publishers’.
Organised by the Royal African Society, in partnership with the British Library, the host of the festival, Africa Writes 2015 will bring together over 70 authors, poets, publishers, critics and experts for an exciting three-day programme, including book launches, readings, talks, panel discussions, live performances, children and young people’s workshops, family activities, and an international book fair.
The festival also invites children, young people and families to explore the continent’s rich literary landscapes through its exciting programme of free and interactive sessions.
