The month of July is almost upon us and as usual; a myriad of literary events will be held around Africa and in other parts of the world. June through October are the hotbed months for celebrating the knowledge, talents and hitherto undiscovered worlds found in books and arts.
Outlined here is a list of literary festivals around the world and some snippets of information about those events. After perusing, take time off and try to immerse yourself in the world of books and art at those literary events.
Hargeysa International Book Fair 2022.
The Hargeysa International Book Fair which has been running for the past 15 years will take off from July 23 to July 28, 2022, in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.
“Solidarity’’ is the theme for this year’s festival. The Hargeysa International Book Fair usually partners with other countries and Senegal is their partner country for 2022.
Dates: July 23- 28, 2022
Partner/Guest country: Senegal
Venue: Hargeysa Cultural Centre, Hargeisa, Somaliland
Further details can be obtained from http://www.hargeysabookfair.com/hibf2022/
web: www.redsea-online.org , e-mail: info@hargeysabookfair.org
Ibom Art and Book Festival, July 28 – 31, 2022.
The Ibom Art and Book Festival will be hosted at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Nigeria from July 28-31, 2022. It is organized by the Inspire Community Network. The theme for the festival is; “refine and reclaim The Artist and the Art.”
Kate Ekanem-Hannum, Festival Director and Curator believes that “If you’ve been shouting and no one is hearing. Ibom International Art and Book Festival is where you shout and someone stands and says, I hear you, and oh, I see you too. And wait, I see you for who you are not who I was told you are.”
Dates: July 28 – 31, 2022
Venue: Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Nigeria
For more information and to purchase tickets https://ibomartandbookfestival.com/
Ghana International Book Fair, August 25 – 28, 2022. Accra, Ghana.
The 19th Ghana International Book Fair will be held from August 25 – 28, 2022 in Accra, Ghana. The theme for this year’s book fair is, “Reforming the Book Industry for Future Generations”.
Panel discussions, GPA SHS Debate Competition, workshops, readings, and performances will be given by book industry stakeholders. A book exhibition will also be held by book publishers from Ghana and beyond. Muna Kalati shall be part of discussions on African children’s literature.
Dates: August 25 – 28
Time: 9.00 AM – 6.00 PM
Venue: Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana.
For more information contact the organisers via email at: info.ghanabookfair@gmail.com, info@ghanabookfair.com . or visit www.ghanabookfair.com
African Book Festival, August 26 – 28, 2022. Berlin, Germany.
Theme: “Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow”. The African Book Festival offers discussions, interviews, readings, theatre, concerts and spoken word performances involving influential, famous, award-winning artists and writers from Africa and the diaspora.
Dates: August 26 – 28, 2022
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Further information can be found at https://africanbookfestival.de/
Purchase tickets here: https://africanbookfestival.de/tickets/
Gaborone Book Festival 2022, September 15-17, 2022. Botswana.
The Gaborone Book Festival 2022 which is the leading literary event in Botswana kicks off from September 15-17, 2022. The festival was founded in 2017 by two sisters who are passionate about reading by two sisters Keikantse and Kenanao Phele. The aim of starting the book festival was to encourage the love for reading among indigenes and residents of Botswana and to promote engagement with the literary works of storytellers, authors from Botswana and Africa as a whole. It was first held in 2018. The Gaborone Book Festival Trust offers a variety of literary programs such as School outreaches, GBF Winter series, Monthly Book Reviews and Quarterly Book Nights all year round.
Dates: September 15 – 17, 2022
Venue: Gaborone, Botswana
Visit http://gaboronebookfestival.co.bw/ for more information.
Macondo Literary Festival 2022, September 30 – October 2, 2022. Nairobi, Kenya.
The Macondo Literary Festival 2022 starts from September 30 – October 2, 2022, and will be held at the Kenya National Theatre, in Nairobi.
Founders of Macondo Book Society, Anja Bengelstorff, a journalist and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, an author, hosted the maiden edition of the festival. The festival was created to harness societal growth by initiating and fostering engagement between the founders and the general public by the use of literature as a conduit. Interestingly, the creators adopted ‘Macondo’, from the novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Macondo is the fantastical place in the novel where magical occurrences are the norm.
The Macondo Literary Festival engages Brazilian, Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone African writers in conversation far beyond the language barrier.
Dates: September 30 – October 2, 2022
Venue: Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi, Kenya
Further information available at https://www.macondolitfest.org/ or via email: macondobooksociety@outlook.com
Pa Gya! Literary Festival, 2022. October 14 – 16, 2022. Accra, Ghana.
The name, Pa Gya! Means to ‘strike a flame’ or ‘lift up’ in Twi, one of the languages spoken in Ghana. The festival is in its 6th year and was first launched by the Writers Project of Ghana in conjunction with the Goethe-Institut. Panel discussions, readings, book launches and sales, performances, and the award of literary prizes will be among the host of activities during the three-day-long festival.
Dates: October 14 – 16, 2022
Venue: Goethe-Institut, Accra, Ghana
Visit https://writersprojectghana.com/pagya2022/ for more information.
Muna Kalati loves to engage with our readers and followers, feel free to reach out and point out any events I may have missed or which had not yet been organised at the time of this publication.
