Lagos International Poetry Festival 2024

Lagos International Poetry Festival 2024 starts October 24

The Lagos International Poetry Festival 2024 under the theme “The Science of Things” will be held in West Africa’s largest city from October 24 – 27, 2024.

The Lagos International Poetry Festival brings together poets, writers, artists, and thinkers from across the world to Lagos for a week of conversations, readings, performances, workshops, and adventure. Founded in 2015 by poet Efe Paul Azino, it has established itself as one of the continent’s annual art and culture highlights.

The 2024 edition, the 10th anniversary edition, is set to be hosted at the Alliance Française Lagos |Michael Adenuga Centre in Lagos starting on Thursday, October 24. In the opening ceremony, Niyi Osundare will be given a Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to poetry in Nigeria by Tade Ipadeola. Including performances, there will be a special recognition award given to Jumoke Verissimo, Efe Paul Azino, Sage Hassan, and Dami Ajayi.

Others scheduled to feature over the four-day shinbdig include Abu Bakr Sadiq, Abubakar Mustapha, Aisha Salaudeen, Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal, Àrẹ̀mọ Gemini, Chuma Nwokolo, Dagogo Hart, Deji Toye, David Odiase, Dr. Helena D. Lewis, Elliott Fant, , Kamnelechukwu, Kolawole Falade, Kween Moore, Kweku Abimbola, Mahogany L. Browne, Marvel Iyare, Mayowa “Godsent” Okubanjo, Michael Imossan, Onias Landveld, Ruth Mahogany, Raphael James (Dr.), Tobi Abiodun, Wana Udobang, and Zainab Iliyasu Bobi.

For the four days, there will be readings, workshops on different aspects of the writing profession, performances of poetry, panels, film screenings, exhibitions, and loads more. The theme “The Science of Things” is explained thus by organisers,

“As we travel deeper into uncertain territory, with advances in Artificial Intelligence coinciding with fierce debates on economic mobility, social identity, and climate change, we must rely more dispassionately on the confluent forces of inquiry and imagination, language and experiment, poetry and science, to guide us into more sustainable ways of living, resisting along the way the forces that seek to co-opt them into instruments for advancing political agendas and narrow economic interests.

LIPFest 2024 is a tribute to curiosity and discovery, a preoccupation with what the poet Derek Walcott calls “the astonishment of the soul.”

It is a reassertion of our individual and collective freedom to pursue knowledge without the corrupting influence of politics, religion, or capital. It is a reaffirmation of our commitment to a world where poetry and science are reinvigorated to point us toward a future defined by our courage to explore, question, and understand.

This implies a vociferous defence of plurality – of voices and opportunities – and a thoughtful consideration of the impact a sustained underinvestment in education and knowledge production has had on of millions of people across the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where about 60% of young people are out of school.”

For more information, we recommend the official website, Twitter, or Instagram handles.

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