Ake Arts and Books Festival (AABF) will return to Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital this year. According to a save your date notification on the festival’s Instagram page, the fiesta, which started in 2013, will return to the city of its birth from November 22-27.
Fans of the festival have been sharing their excitement since knowledge of the return came to light.
Responding to the question, are you ready? Omokhowa writes “Finally💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿”, while for Willifmoore, it is “Finally! I can look forward to leaving Lagos” and for eddie_thelevi a “Yesssssss🔥🔥🔥”.
For Tonye_f it is “Of course”, Kafayatquadri says “Yes! We are!”
Benitannachortam’s post is “Please!!!! Bring it back home ❤️❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 so happy 😭😭😭😭”.
Others include: Bookonreviewwithbenji, “Comin’ home…👏🙌❤️”; Busayonyc “Return to Abeokuta!! So exciting”, gladysadebimpe_ “Yay!!! ❤️”.
Gboyegaotolorin is happy to go “Back to the roots !!! 😍” as many people clearly are as the many other replies to the post not included here indicate.
An initiative of the Book Buzz Foundation Nigeria founded by the award-winning author and poet, Lola Shoneyin, it is an annual programme of cultural and literature-focused events. In addition to exciting and lively book chats and panel discussions, the festival curates intergenerational conversations on themes that impact lives in very real ways.
The festival was held virtually for the second year from October 28 to 30, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Life and Times Series featured Booker-Prize shortlisted author Maaza Mengiste, in conversation with Tanzanian author and the 2021 Nobel Prize winner, Prof Abdulrazak Gurnah.
The festival, regarded as the largest annual gathering of African writers, editors, critics and readers in the world, relocated to Lagos in 2018.
