Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is the headline act at Kampala Writes LitFest 2025 at Makerere University from August 15 – 17, 2025.
The Kampala Writes Literature Festival, or Kampala Writes LitFest, was set up to create a platform for authors, writers, and literature lovers to engage, support each other, and tackle vital conversations in 2024. That first edition, curated by Goretti Kyomuhendo, was supported by the Goethe Institut and the Ugandan German Cultural Society to commemorate Ugandan literature while laying a foundation for future editions. It featured panel discussions with writers, publishers, and academics, performances, film screenings, a book market where readers could buy books, book readings, and more. This was the first literary festival in Kampala for years, and its residents fully embraced it.
On May 17, festival organisers announced that the second edition returns to the East African nation this August with the message, “The Kampala Writes LitFest is back for its 2nd edition! Get ready for a bigger, bolder celebration of literature, ideas, and community. This year, we’re exploring the theme of Belonging—an invitation to reflect on what it means to find “home” in new places and unfamiliar spaces.”
This year’s headliner is Ugandan-British novelist and short story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. Her work has won numerous awards, including the global Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the Windham-Campbell Award. Her work includes the novels Kintu (2014) and The First Daughter (2021) and the short story collection Manchester Happened (2019).
Those who attend will be treated to in-depth panel discussions on the various influences shaping the production of literature currently; intimate Writers-In-Conversations sessions followed by interactive engagements with the audience; hands-on and genre-specific masterclasses and workshops aimed at professional development of aspiring and practicing writers and book professionals; and book launches and signings by local and international writers.
The full statement by Goretti Kyomuhendo, who reprises her role as festival curator, reads;
The second edition of the Kampala Writes LitFest will take place from August 15 – 17, 2025, at the Yusuf Lule Auditorium, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Designed as an annual event to fill in the existing gap for a consistent literary festival that fosters the growth and development of Uganda’s literary sector, the festival will bring together local writers and those in the diaspora, as well as emerging talents and established voices across generations.
The theme for this year’s edition is Belonging, and conversations will explore what it means to find home in new spaces through words, examine the unique power of stories to connect people to places, and delve into what it means to belong to a culture, a community, an idea; in a rapidly changing world. How do writers in the diaspora maintain authenticity in their storytelling about Africa, for instance, and maintain a sense of belonging to their motherland.
We aim to deliver a well-rounded immersive festival with an array of exciting activities tailored to cater to diverse audiences and interests. Headlined by celebrated Uganda/British writer, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, the festival will feature engaging, in-depth panel discussions on the various influences shaping the production of literature presently; intimate Writers-In-Conversations sessions followed by interactive engagements with the audience; hands-on and genre-specific masterclasses and workshops aimed at professional developing of aspiring and practicing writers and book professionals; book launches and signings by local and international writers.
The festival will feature a special session for children and young adults, in addition to a mini-book fair for publishers, booksellers, and independent authors to showcase and sell their books. The festival will come alive with celebratory activities that include captivating stage plays, film screenings, and readings and performances of featured authors.
We invite you to join us as we explore literature that has emerged from Uganda and its diaspora in the recent past, reflecting on the diverse experiences, cultures, and perspectives that make our collective identity and perception of belonging.”
Goretti Kyomuhendo
Festival curator
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