The African Book Festival Berlin is a project conceived and run by the InterKontinental literary agency in the German capital since 2018. It has featured readings, discussions, music, poetry performances, and interactive, and modern event formats with many leading African writers working today. It has run in themes like the Queer Edition (2024), Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. (2022), Voices from the Beginning (2021), Telling the Origin Stories (2020) Transitioning from Migration (2019), and Writing in Migration (2018).
The festival has announced that the project will enter a new phase of its development by establishing a new board consisting of five dedicated individuals. They will jointly contribute their professional expertise and passion for literature to the organisation and further development of the festival:
- Chiponda Chimbelu is a member of the extended editorial board of Deutsche Welle. He also produces a news programme and reports on the impact of European and Chinese foreign policy on African countries as well as on diversity and inclusion in Germany.
- Edwige Dro is a writer, translator and literary activist from Côte d’Ivoire. She has published numerous short stories and articles. In 2020, she founded 1949, a library of women’s writings from Africa and the black world in Abidjan.
- Niq Mhlongo is a prominent South African author and essayist whose work has been internationally recognised and reflects the diverse social landscape of Africa.
- Kevin Mwachiro is a respected literary scholar and author from Kenya, known for his extensive knowledge of African literature and his work as a cultural promoter.
- Ifeatu Nnaobi is a writer, filmmaker and photographer specialising in documentary storytelling. She works closely with queer, feminist and migrant communities and takes an intersectional approach.
The board aims to strengthen the strategic direction of the festival, promote the diversity and representation of African voices in Germany, and enrich the development of the programme. It advises the festival directory and the annually changing curator.
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