The Quramo Festival of Words or QFest 2021, with the theme “TRANSCENDENCE: Words Defying” runs in Lagos, Nigeria from October 1-3, 2021. The announcement was made on August 11.
The Quramo Festival of Words was first hosted by Quramo Publishing in Lagos, Nigeria in December 2019. For the period of the festival, Lagosians were treated to masterclasses, book readings, workshop discussions, film, theatre, and an open mic. It ended with the announcement of Vivian Onyekachi Ibe as the winner of new literary award the Quramo Writers Prize.
The 2020 edition of the festival was a virtual affair because of a global pandemic preventing people from meeting as in the past. In spite of its virtual nature, those who attended still got to participate in workshops, conversations, panel discussions, film and documentary screenings, book chats, and open mic performances. Just like in the previous year, the festival ended with the announcement of the Quramo Writer’s Prize 2020 winner.
The festival organisers have announced a 2021 edition that promises good things for bibliophiles with the following statement on their social media;
“TRANSCENDENCE: Words Defying will unravel how storytellers and creatives around the world have modified words for enlightenment and restoration, and as an effective tool in the fight for social justice and equality..
We look at a dynamic range of human issues in the throes and aftermath of a pandemic, and how different artists explore these issues and cope with the harsh impacts of the pandemic on the creative industry, which is hinged on words..
With the popularity of Podcasts, Zoom, Instagram, ClubHouse, WhatsApp spaces, and many other virtual platforms for expression, words have taken on different forms; from written texts, to audio documents and visual texts, as such, this festival will explore how effective these new forms of expression are.”
Not much more has been revealed but we can expect the shortlist for the Quramo Writers Prize to be announced before the winner is revealed at the festival.
We shall share more information as and when it becomes available about this exciting initiative.
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