The 11th edition of Ake Art and Book Festival created by Lola Shoneyin with the primary aim to promote, develop, and celebrate the creativity of African writers, poets, and artists, will hold from November 23 to 25, at BON Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Themed, Blood Ties, the festival will explore the complexities of family, relationships, loss and togetherness.

The Africa Rights Forum is introduced this year, with the aim to train agents and editors in Nigeria and the African continent to navigate the global rights marketplaces, hoping to build the essential blocks that will enable African publishers to have a presence in the rights marketplaces of the world.

The ever rich festival will also treat visitors to stimulating panel discussions, which will cover a range of topics, from Artificial Intelligence, African women in publishing to Nigeria’s gender wars.

Book chats with an array of writers about the themes they explore, featuring Petina Gappah, Umubyeyi Beata Mairese, Bolu Babalola, Kojo Koram and others, will not be left out.

According to the organisers, this year’s, Festival will celebrate the cinematic excellence of a Netflix blockbuster, with filmmaker, Femi Adebayo chatting Fadekemi Olumide-Aluko on the making of Jagun Jagun.

The highlight of the festival is the Palmwine and Poetry segment, which will present a dynamic blend of cultural elements, fusing traditional palm wine with the contemporary artistry of poetry to create a relaxing atmosphere for festival-goers, and with Wana Udobang as the host.

A concert will feature Bantu playing known classics from the coast of West Africa.

Shoneyin said, there will also be book quiz this year, “We are testing how much our attendees know about African books and authors. We have lots of book prizes to give away, as well as merch from our sponsors and partners.”

Shoneyin added, “there is a segment sponsored by PublisHer, and it is an opportunity for women in publishing and those who aspire to pursue careers in publishing to meet leaders and mentors within the African publishing industry and beyond.”

Now in its 11 year, Ake Arts & Book Festival has brought over 1,000 writers, poets, musicians, actors, filmmakers, artists and thinkers together to celebrate creativity, network and share stories. This year, the festival is back in Lagos with a fantastic programme of events that includes panel discussions, book chats, poetry and music. Join us for four days of cultural immersion!

It is organised by Book Buzz Foundation, a non-governmental organisation founded 2012. The Board of Trustees includes Lola Shoneyin, Ms Mojisola Adeniran and Dr Soji Adelaja. The main aims of the Book Buzz Foundation are to promote literacy, especially amongst children of school-going age; to develop reading tools and resources to support schools in the creation of reading spaces; and to organise events and festivals that promote literacy, reading and caaulture.

The Africa Rights Forum is introduced this year, with the aim to train agents and editors in Nigeria and the African continent to navigate the global rights marketplaces, hoping to build the essential blocks that will enable African publishers to have a presence in the rights marketplaces of the world.

The ever rich festival will also treat visitors to stimulating panel discussions which will cover a range of topics, from Artificial Intelligence, African women in publishing to Nigeria’s gender wars.

“We pride ourselves in featuring the finest writers of African descent at Ake Festival. Our hour-long book chats are hosted by book lovers who tease out the juiciest secrets from our guest writers. From characterisation to plot, from writing style to thematic preoccupation, our book chats are lively and memorable. This year, we will be celebrating the magic of storytelling and the art of the written word with Petina Gappah, DK Nnuro, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Bisi Adjapon, Kojo Koram, Priya Hein, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Segun Aganga, Omolola Ogunyemi and many more authors,” she said.

“Conversations at Aké Festival are open, honest and constructive. Ake Arts & Book Festival is a safe space. We encourage our speakers to talk through uncomfortable topics and we always have brilliant moderators. This year, we have fantastic speakers who will discuss topics like The Democratisation of Knowledge, using film to drive narrative change in Africa, publishing in Africa, The Impact of AI and so much more,” she said.

“This film knocked our socks off and took us on a journey through storytelling. The visual artistry transported us to a different age, evoked a myriad of emotions, and sparked long and heated conversations. Now number 5 on Netflix’s non-English films list, we are excited to host the brains behind Jagun Jagun. Following the screening of behind-the-scenes footage, Lola Shoneyin will sit with actor, director and producer Femi Adebayo.”