Former United States Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris will join renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for a live conversation at the 2025 London Literature Festival.
Harris announced the session on Tuesday in a post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
She wrote, “I look forward to being in conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Thursday as part of the London Literature Festival.”
The Southbank Centre in London will host the event on Thursday, October 23.
It is part of Harris’s global tour to promote her latest book, titled 107 Days, which captures her reflections on politics, leadership, and life after public office.
Adichie, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated literary voices, is known for her storytelling that cuts across culture, identity and feminism.
Her books such as Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah and Purple Hibiscus have earned international acclaim and cemented her place among the most influential writers of her generation.
London Literature Festival
The London Literature Festival, which runs from October 21 to November 2, is an annual celebration of writing, poetry and performance.
The 2025 edition is curated by British singer and songwriter Self Esteem and focuses on women’s voices and the changing world of publishing.
The festival will also feature Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai among other writers and poets, along with free poetry readings and evening sessions that blend music, spoken word and storytelling.
Chimamanda’s journey
Born on September 15, 1977, in Enugu, Chimamanda grew up in Nsukka where her father, Professor James Nwoye Adichie, was Nigeria’s first professor of statistics and a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria. Her mother, Grace Ifeoma Adichie, was the institution’s first female registrar.
She studied medicine at the University of Nigeria before moving to the United States at 19 to study communication and political science at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her works often reflect her background, giving voice to African experiences with global relevance.
Recognition in Sweden
In 2025, Chimamanda received the Mermaid Award at the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden, one of Europe’s most prestigious literary honours. The award celebrates writers whose works have deeply moved Swedish readers.
In her acceptance speech, she said, “I am grateful for this award that recognizes my vocation, for that is what writing fiction has always been for me: a vocation, the defining centre of my life. I am as moved by the rich literary symbolism of the mermaid as I am by the knowledge that my work has deeply touched Swedish readers.”
Expected conversation
The upcoming dialogue between Harris and Adichie is expected to explore literature, leadership and the role of storytelling in shaping public thought. It will also bring together two global figures who continue to influence conversations about power, identity and social change through their words and actions.
