Africa Writes 2023 to kick off on September 29

Africa Writes 2023 runs at the British Library, London, UK from September 29 – October 1, 2023. The festival theme is ‘intangible heritage’.

The Africa Writes literary festival, an initiative of the UK’s Royal African Society, first ran in the European country in 2012. In the following years, it has grown to be one of the most awaited literary events in the African diaspora calendar in the UK. It has hosted some of the most well-known names in the African literary universe with headliners like Mona Eltahawy, Ama Ata Aidoo, Nawal El Saadawi, Wole Soyinka, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, Ben Okri, and Warsan Shire.

The 2023 edition of the festival promises an array of captivating live performances, thought-provoking panel discussions, engaging workshops, and a carefully curated marketplace of books, this festival is a feast for anyone interested in literature, storytelling, and culture. Here are some of those who have been invited to take part this year;

• Nancy Adimora – award-winning publishing consultant and the founder of the literary Magazine AFREADA.
• Sulaiman Addonia – Eritrean-Ethiopian-British novelist and founder of the Asmara-Addis Literary Festival In Exile.
• Ainehi Edoro – Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Brittle Paper and Assistant Professor of Global Black Literatures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Kalaf Epalanga – author and columnist who fronts the Lisbon-based dance collective Buraka Som Sistema.
• Maaza Mengiste – novelist, essayist, and photographer. Her novel, The Shadow King, was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. 
• Yomi Ṣode – award-winning Nigerian-British playwright and poet. His debut collection Manorism was shortlisted for the TS Elliot and Rathbones Folio Prizes.

For those in the UK, please make sure to put this event on your calendar.