Abuja is set to host the inaugural Abuja Festival of Literature & Ideas (AFLI), a two-day event expected to bring writers, thinkers, scientists, policymakers, and cultural practitioners from Nigeria and abroad to the federal capital. The festival, organised by the Book Buzz Foundation in partnership with the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, will hold on October 9 and 10 at The Nordic Abuja, Jabi. This event aims to position Abuja within global conversations around literature, ideas, and culture.
The programme will feature discussions on literature, peace, artificial intelligence, technology, science, culture, and public life. Among the international speakers is Sergio Jaramillo, former high commissioner for peace in Colombia and one of the principal architects of the Colombian peace process. Jaramillo is expected to speak on how divided societies can learn to dialogue, focusing on listening, negotiation, and rebuilding trust in societies affected by conflict.
The festival will also examine the implications of artificial intelligence for the creative industry, with Stephane M. Grueso and Swedish digital expert Carl Heath scheduled to lead conversations around AI, authorship, intellectual property, privacy, artistic labour, and the future of creativity. This session aims to explore the intersection of technology and art, and how it will shape the future of creative industries.
Zimbabwean writer and academic Simukai Chigudu will discuss his memoir, Chasing Freedom, which explores family, colonialism, race, migration, and freedom after empire. The festival will also place a spotlight on Northern Nigeria, with a panel on emerging Northern Nigerian women’s fiction featuring Nana Sule, Hadiza El-Rufai, Fatima Bala, and Edify Yakusak.
A separate youth session will examine the future of young people in the region, with Khadija Sanusi, Maryam Laushi Dasilva, Raymond J. Yusuff, Usman Hayatu, and Nana Fatima Bello listed as participants. Other sessions will feature science, memoir, poetry, and contemporary culture, with European diplomatic missions from Italy, Spain, and Sweden also participating in the festival.
Lola Shoneyin, founder of the Book Buzz Foundation, said the event was designed to position Abuja within global conversations around literature, ideas, and culture. She also recalled organising a monthly literary event, Infusion, in Abuja between 2009 and 2012. The inaugural festival is expected to strengthen cultural links between Nigeria, Europe, and the wider world while establishing Abuja as a destination for literary and intellectual exchange.
The festival's diverse programme and international participation reflect its goal of promoting cross-cultural understanding and exchange. With its focus on literature, peace, technology, and culture, the Abuja Festival of Literature & Ideas is poised to become a significant event in Nigeria's cultural calendar. The event's success will depend on the participation of both local and international attendees.
Key points
- The Abuja Festival of Literature & Ideas will feature discussions on literature, peace, artificial intelligence, and culture.
- The festival will bring together writers, thinkers, scientists, policymakers, and cultural practitioners from Nigeria and abroad.
- The event aims to position Abuja within global conversations around literature, ideas, and culture.
