Lagos Book & Art Festival to Feature Akin Adesokan as Keynote Speaker

The Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF) has announced that Akin Adesokan, professor of Comparative Literature and Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University, will deliver the keynote address at its 26th edition.

Scheduled for November 15, 2024, Adesokan’s address, titled “The Pitfalls of Memory from Hope to Despair and Reckoning,” will explore themes from Wole Soyinka’s Nobel lecture and Zola Maseko’s documentary “The Return of Sara Baartman.”

The festival, running from November 11-17 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, carries the theme “BREAKOUT: HOPE IS A STUBBORN THING.” Jahman Anikulapo, Programme Chair of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), stated, “In the difficult circumstances that our society finds itself, hope is the one sure compass with which we can navigate the waters.”

LABAF 2024 will feature discussions on 12 main books, including works by Andre Brink, Mukoma Wa Ngugi, and Wole Soyinka. The event is dedicated to Soyinka, whom organizers describe as a “source of hope and optimism.”

Following Adesokan’s keynote, a panel discussion titled “Reclaiming the Moment” will review books by Ayi Kwei Armah and Mark Manson. Panelists include poet and lawyer Deji Toye and investment banker Dipo Ogunbiyi, with moderation by Ifeanyi Uddin.

This marks Adesokan’s second appearance at LABAF, having previously moderated a conversation at the 2013 edition. The festival, now in its 26th year, continues to be a significant cultural event in Nigeria’s literary calendar.