Kenyan film, Rafiki will screen at this year’s Ake Arts and Book Festival, which takes place for the first time in Lagos with renowned writer Nuruddin Farah headlining.
The venue is Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, GRA from October 25 -28, 2018 around the theme, ‘Fantastical Futures’. The events and conversations will focus largely on a re-imagined African future, whilst exploring the exciting wave of Afrofuturism across the continent.
“Organised in partnership with Sterling Bank and Annoying Logo UK, Ake Festival will once again host mostly African writers, artists, filmmakers, poets, dancers and thinkers flying in from all over the world to advance our goal of developing, promoting and celebrating creativity on the African continent,” said a statement by Book Buzz, which organises the fest.
Continuing the organisers said that over 60 different events will showcase the finest of contemporary African literature, music, art, film and theatre.
For instance, there will be eight book chats with 16 exciting authors, four art exhibitions, one stage play, one in-depth interview with Nuruddin Farah, eight school visits, 20 stimulating panel discussions, 12 films and documentary screenings, one exhilarating poetry performance with 10 poets and a thrilling music concert with five international stars.
Sterling Bank will facilitate seminars on ‘How to Become a Commercially Successful Writer’. Once registered, visitors have access to all events listed.
Highlights for this year’s festival include the Life and Times Series, which will feature renowned novelist Nuruddin Farah in conversation with author and editor, Kunle Ajibade, to talk about his writing process, his feminist stance, living in exile and what it means to be a writer 48 years after the publication of your first book.
There is also Memory Room in partnership with the British Library, which will be open to registered visitors throughout the festival with attendees able to step into the past and experience the digital sounds and images that illustrate the history of writing, symbolic communication and oral literatures in West Africa and its diaspora.
Others include Panel Discussions, Drama, Films and Documentaries, as well as Concert, Poetry and the Festival Bookstore
The panels will engage both new and established voices and will focus on identities, race, gender and so much more, while in drama the stage adaptation The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, a novel by Lola Shoneyin, will make a comeback. Adapted for stage by Caine Prize winner, Rotimi Babatunde, this dance and musical production is directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr.
To screen this year are a selection of 12 films including Rafiki, which will hold an invitation only private screening, as well as Her Broken Shadow, Monsoons over the Moon, Visions, Awani, Swallow, My Mother’s Stew, Beyond Tolerance, Call Me By My Name, and a host of others.
Adedeji, Brymo, Tome Letso Sereetsi, Clayrocksu and the Queen of Waka, Salawa Abeni will feature at this year’s concert, while poetry will take place on Sunday evening where registered visitors will lap up brilliant poetry from Nigerian and international poets like Nick Makoha, Logan February, Saddiq Dzukogi, Inua Elams, Ishion Hutchinson, Wana Udobang, Nastio Mosquito and Theresa Lola.
The bookstore, with over 3000 titles by African and international writers and books by guests will stay open throughout the festival.
While the organisers encourage intending participants to register before the festival begins at www.akefestival.org or in person at the festival Registration Desk from 25 October, 2018, the programme is also available for download on the website.
