Thursday, 13 June 2024

NBO LitFest 2024: A star-studded showcase of African literature

The full program for the 2024 NBO LitFest has been unveiled, featuring a stellar line-up of renowned African authors, including Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo, Taiye Selasi, and Aminatta Forna. The festival will take place from June 27th to 30th, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Created in 2021 by Book Bunk, NBO LitFest has quickly established itself as a major event on the international literary calendar. This year's festival will bring together over 50 local and international writers for an ambitious program of conversations, performances, and masterclasses.

The program includes:

Masterclasses: Bernardine Evaristo on "Crafting the Novel," Shafinaaz Hassim on "Writing YA Fiction," and Mercy Juma and Beverly Ochieng on "Non-Fiction/Reportage."
Children's Festival: A live reading session featuring Taiye Selasi, Amani Muthoni, and Sihle-Isipho Nontshokweni, as well as a kiddy masterclass on Nontshokweni's book, "Wanda the Brave."
Main Festival: Key events include "We Need New Narratives: The African in the Diasporas" with Aminatta Forna, Taiye Selasi, and Ndinda Kioko; "Existing in Translation" with Richard Ali A Mutu, Nesrine Malik, Mia Couto, and Edwige-Renée Dro; and "Telling the Hard Stories" with Ibrahima Balde, Amets Arzallus, Sihle-Isipho Nontshokweni, and Kamwathi Peterson Waweru.

The festival will take place across three iconic public libraries in Nairobi: Kaloleni Library, Eastlands Library, and McMillan Memorial Library. The full program is available here.