"Sharjah African Literature Festival" It hosts an elite group of African writers and writers
Sharjah, 5 January / WAM / The Sharjah Book Authority announced the guest list for the second session of the “Sharjah African Literature Festival”, which brings together on one platform from January 14 to 18 this year an elite group of the most prominent writers and creators from the African continent in a literary program that reflects the diversity of African narrative experiences and enhances cultural dialogue between Africa and the Arab world.
The festival, which is held in the University City of Sharjah, presents a daily program that includes dialogue sessions and panel discussions for selected books and signing ceremonies, presenting a vivid picture of the reality and history of African literature. It addresses various topics, including oral narration and its relationship to music, dance, literature, nature, the African environment, the voices of young writers, the arts of drawing and illustration in the story, rituals and celebrations in literature, African cities as narrative spaces, and other topics.
This year’s guest list includes prominent names in the African literary scene, including the British poet, writer, and playwright of Ethiopian origins, Lemen Sisay, one of the most prominent contemporary voices in the art of the spoken word and narrative literature. Sisay has presented his works on international stages and cultural platforms, from the Library of Congress in the United States to the National Theater in Ethiopia and the London Palladium. His literary achievement has received wide international appreciation, including the 2024 Hay Festival Medal. Sisay is considered one of the influential names in the cultural scene. British and international, he served as the official poet of the London Olympics and served as a consultant at the University of Manchester, in addition to being one of the best-selling authors according to the “Sunday Times” list.
Also joining the festival’s guest list will be Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga, one of the most important contemporary literary voices and the author of the famous novel trilogy, one of whose works was shortlisted for the Booker International Prize and the recipient of a number of the highest international awards for freedom of expression and the novel.
The festival will host Tanzanian writer Nahida Ismail, who specializes in children’s and young people’s literature and has won several African literary awards, along with Tanzanian writer and cultural activist Richard Mabala, known for his contributions to educational and young adult literature and his writings in English and Swahili.
The Rwandan writer, Scholastic Mukasonga, author of the novel “Our Lady of the Nile,” which is considered one of the most prominent African works of fiction in the last two decades, and the Nigerian writer, Sefi Atta, one of the most important narrative voices in Nigeria, whose works range from novels, short stories, theater, and children’s literature, will participate.
Also participating in the new edition of the festival are Zimbabwean writer and researcher Siviwe Gloria Ndlovu, winner of the “Best International Fiction Book Award” within the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 Awards, and Nigerian writer and linguist Kola Tobosun, who specializes in literary translation and defense of African languages.
The list also includes writers from East Africa, including the Ugandan writer and filmmaker Dillman Dela, the Ugandan writer Beatrice Lamwaka, President of the PEN Center – Uganda and a member of the Board of Directors of PEN International, in addition to the prominent Ugandan novelist Goretti Kyomuhindo, the founding director of a number of initiatives concerned with supporting African writers.
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