Linton Kwesi Johnson will be the headliner at the Mboka Festival 2018 to be hosted in Banjul, Gambia from January 6-20.
The Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport festival was founded by Kadija George, Dr. Momodou Sallah, and Adama Bah and hosted in January 2017 for the first time. George a literary activist, project arts manager and teacher/trainer while Dr Sallah is a leader in Globalisation and Global Youth Work at the Social Work, Youth and Community Division, De Montfort University, UK. Adama Bah is an associate member of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. The festival was hosted in The Gambia for the first time in Banjul in January this year with Ngugi wa Thiong’o as the headliner. Read our snapshot of the festival here.
In the second edition of the festival whose name Mboka means ‘One Family’ in Wolof will be hosted in January 2018 with the headliner being UK-based Jamaican-British dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. Johnson is the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. The poet has many poems and albums to his name but this one won’t leave you as he rails against his adopted home with this poem, Ingland is a bitch.
He has many other gems that those who will make their way to Gambia will enjoy.
We follow books and literary stuff here at JamesMurua.com and there will be a lot of it there alongside the headline act. They include an academic conference, as well as readings, songs and performances honouring our literary ancestors like Buchi Emecheta, Dr. Ralphina Phillott Almeida and Musa Jallow. There will also be book launches from local and international writers hosted at the Senegambia Hotel one of the festival venues.
Also on the cards will be Jan African Poetry Library anniversary event, the launch of the Yulisa Amadu Maddy Award, a school creative writing competition and performances from local and international writers (poetry and fiction).
There will be other non-literary stuff on the cards making a full cultural festival like the Kankurang (Masquerade) Festival in Janjanburay, as well as performances featuring Gambian Cultural Troupes alongside many other activities.
For more information about the Mboka Festival in 2018, please click here.
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