With the theme, “Breakout: Hope is a Stubborn Thing,” the festival features 62 odd events in the various disciplines of the arts — literature, visual arts, theatre, film, and others, and with a 2-package programme for children/students and youths through the Green Festival and the CORA Youth Creative Club., CYCC.
This year’s edition holds special significance as it pays tribute to the renowned humanist scholar and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who celebrated his 90th birthday on July 13. Soyinka’s lifelong dedication to exploring the possibilities of the Nigerian project aligns perfectly with CORA’s mission and the festival’s theme
AFTER a year of planning and anticipating, the 26th Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF) is taking off on Monday, November 11 with a special 4-day package -of celebration of Africa’s most illustrious son of Letters, Professor Oluwole Babawande Soyinka. the theme.
With the theme, “Breakout: Hope is a Stubborn Thing,” the festival features 62 odd events in the various disciplines of the arts — literature, visual arts, theatre, film, and others, and with a 2-package programme for children/students and youths through the Green Festival and the CORA Youth Creative Club., CYCC.
In commemoration of the 90 years birthday anniversary of Soyinka in July, the edition, the 26th since 1999 when the festival was born, is dedicated to the poet, playwright, essayist, novelist, human and civil rights activist and Global Humanist.
In a pre-festival statement, the Festival promoter, 33-year old leading culture advocacy body, Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, said Soyinka represents te every essence of te theme of the year: Resistance, Resoilece and Hope that Nigeria could eventually overcome its myriad challenges and turn u for good in the comity of nations.
CORE BOOKS OF LABAF 2024
The festival will engage with books in which hope, doggedness, the will to win, is a key subject, whether in fiction or in reality.
- Imaginings of Sand (Andre Brink; Secker & Warburg; 1996)
- We, The Scarred (Mukoma Wa Ngugi; Paivapo Publishers; 2020)
- Everything Is F*Cked: A Book About Hope (Mark Manson; Harper; 2019)
- Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (Laila Lalami; Algonquin Books; 2005)
- The Way of Companions (2018) (Ayi Kwei Armah; Al Hidaayah Publishers (Uk) Publishing; 1994)
- Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth (Wole Soyinka; Bookcraft Africa/Pantheon Books, 2021)
- A Change of Tongue (Antje Krog; Penguin Random House South Africa; 2009)
- Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (Edward W. Said & Daniel Barenboim; Pantheon Books; 2002)
- The End of the World is Just the Beginning (Peter Zeihan; Harper Business; 2022)
- Everything Good Will Come (Sefi Attah; Interlink Books; 2005)
- Sankofa (Chibundu Obuzo: Virago; 2021)
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BOOKTREKS
- Covik-One Nine (Ibiso Graham-Douglas (Ed); Paperworth Books; 2024)
- Obalende (Wale Adeduro; Grand Touch Media Services Limited; 2023)
- Distortion (Ejiro Umukoro; Lightray Books, 2020)
- If My Country Had A Jury (Olabisi Ajakaiye; Noirledge Publishing; 2024)
- At Night Men Take The Lonely Way Back Home (Nzube Nlebedim; Abibiman Publishing; 2024)
- Digital Youth and Social Movements (Nwachukwu Egbunike; PAU Press; 2024)
- Behind the Doors of Fate (Prince Nduka Alum; Grand Touch Media Services Ltd; 2024)
- Yamtarawala, The Warrior King (Henry Akubuiro; Abibiman Publishing; 2023)
- Gbogboe (Obanya Obanya; Hubroom Consulting Ltd; 2023
- How to Build Aspace Masquerade (Mazi Nwonwu; Narrative Landscapes; 2024)
- This Fiction Called Nigeria: The Struggle for Democracy (Adéwálé Májà-Pearce; Penguin Random House, 2024
LABAF, hailed as Africa’s biggest culture picnic, will transform Freedom Park on Broad Street, Lagos, into a vibrant hub of literary and artistic expression from November 11-17. The festival will feature an array of events, including book displays, exhibitions, live music and drama performances. Attendees can look forward to the popular Book Trek, where authors will present readings from their latest works, and the Publishers’ Forum, a full-day workshop dedicated to the publishing industry.
This year’s edition holds special significance as it pays tribute to the renowned humanist scholar and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who celebrated his 90th birthday on July 13. Soyinka’s lifelong dedication to exploring the possibilities of the Nigerian project aligns perfectly with CORA’s mission and the festival’s theme.
Jahman Anikulapo, CORA’s programme chairman, stressed the festival’s unique appeal: “LABAF is not just a book fair, a performance concert, a literary festival, or an art expo. It’s a healthy fusion of all four in a festival atmosphere.”
This multifaceted approach has made LABAF a beloved annual tradition for families, literary enthusiasts, and culture producers alike.
The festival’s enduring popularity is evident in its multi-generational appeal. Anikulapo notes, “We have had people who came as teenagers years ago, attending now as middle-aged adults. We have also had people who met at the festival grounds for the first time years ago, still attending as married couples.”
LABAF’s commitment to fostering meaningful engagement with literature is reflected in its discussion panels, which delve deep into the featured books beyond the authors’ star power. The lineup of panellists for this year’s event will be announced soon, promising thought-provoking conversations and fresh perspectives.
The festival also caters to younger audiences through its children’s programme, coordinated by Children and The Environment (CATE) and CORA YOUNG CREATIVE CLUB. This segment will offer a range of activities, workshops, talks and performances centered around the festival’s theme, “Breakout: Hope is a Stubborn Thing.”
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