Ake Arts & Book Festival 2016

Celebrating creativity in Africa, Ake Festival is 5 days of cultural and literary immersion.

Ake Arts and Book Festival

The Ake Arts and Book Festival is a five-day programme of cultural, artistic and literature-focused events. These include readings, workshops, master classes, performances, panel discussions, stage plays, film screenings, art exhibitions, school visits and a comprehensive book fair to which pupils, publishers, book lovers and the general public are invited to visit.

Each year, about 100 writers, filmmakers, poets, dancers, academics, actors and thinkers are invited to the festival to have honest and constructive conversations about issues and themes that are pertinent to Africa. The Ake festival is fast becoming one of Africa’s cultural hubs; several literary communities and organisations collaborate with Ake Festival to make announcements about initiatives and prizes, thereby taking advantage of the growing number of creatives that attend the festival every year. Ake Festival is renowned for the atmosphere it creates and the book bargains. The festival bookstore stocks over 4000 books.

The fourth Ake Arts & Book Festival which will take place on 15-19 November will feature over 60 guests comprising writers, poets, actors, musicians, artists and cultural icons from Nigeria and all over Africa and beyond. Examples are world-renowned author and activist Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Alain Mabanckou, Laila Lalami, Teju Cole, Andrew Walker, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Richard Bourne, Noviolet Bulawayo, Tendai Huchu, Helon Habila and many more.

Ake Festival takes place in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. Only an hour’s drive from Lagos, it is a city of historical and cultural significance, home to one of the most famous tourist attractions in Nigeria: Olumo Rock.

The Festival is named after Aké, one of the ancient communities of the city and is also the birthplace of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.

Adults, children, readers, pupils, university students, academics, anthropologists, historians, political scientists, booksellers, authors and culture enthusiasts find Ake Festival very enriching.