The Lagos International Poetry Festival (LIPFest) returns in 2021, from October 21st – October 24th with the theme, Ancestral Imaginings.
This year’s edition, the organisers said in a statement, “leans into the wisdom and vision of the old and the young, to guide us through the rubble of a pandemic. A generational journey aided by generational memory”.
This year, the statement added, a diverse pool of writers and thinkers, drawn from across generations, will lead us into three days of conversations and performances on a range of themes, converging on the role of inter-generational support systems in building stronger post-pandemic societies.
LIPFest 2021’s hybrid experience will combine expertly curated digital offerings with the festival’s much missed in-person events, kicking off with an opening cocktail on the 21st of October and opening into a series of events including a special keynote by Yusef Komunyakaa, seven panel conversations, two masterclasses, a massive concert mash-up of music and poetry, headlined by the legendary Saul Williams, and a one-million-naira winner takes all slam competition.
Poetry After Dark, the festival’s annual party, a silent disco event peppered with spontaneous poetry readings, which has always drawn the city’s bohemian fun-seekers, will also be returning with a huge celebratory swing this year. All events, carefully adhering to Covid-19 protocols, will be streamed live to the festival’s global audience.
Guests are expected from 15 countries around the world. All the details are available on www.lagospoetryfestival.com.
