The Quramo Festival of Words (QFest) 2025 successfully wrapped up its 9th edition, a four-day celebration of African literary arts and storytelling that took place from October 2 to 5. The highlight of the event, themed “A Brave New World,” was the announcement of the winner of the prestigious Quramo Writers’ Prize (QWP) 2025. Hubaidat Oyinkansola Ishola emerged victorious, earning the grand prize of ₦1 million and a publishing contract with Quramo Publishing.
The QWP aims to discover and promote new voices in prose fiction. The competition began with an initial pool of 34 submissions. This was narrowed down to a longlist of five, from which the jury selected three finalists.
During the festival’s lively panel session, all five longlisted authors were introduced:
* Black Bird by Chioma Jane Okeagu
* Kaku by Esther Eniola Oyeleye
* Moon Child by Abisola Junaid
* Son of the Harem by Harry Onyeogo
* What Binds, What Breaks by Hubaidat Oyinkansola Ishola
The three final manuscripts chosen to proceed in the competition were Black Bird, Moon Child, and What Breaks, What Binds. The final winners were announced by QFest Convener, Mrs. Gbemi Shasore and second place went to Moon Child by Abisola Junaid, while third place was Black Bird by Chioma Jane Okeagu.
Ishola’s winning manuscript, What Binds, What Breaks, was praised by the judges – Mrs. Aduke Gomez (head), Wase Aguele-Konu, and Anote Ajeluorou – for its “emotional depth, linguistic precision, and ability to navigate complex human relationships with empathy and grace”. The judges added that Ishola’s voice was noteworthy for its “clarity, originality and command of storytelling craft”.
A previous winner, Dear Zimi by Chizeterem Chijoke (the 2023 winner), had previously secured a prestigious shortlist position for Quramo Publishers in the $20,000 CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa 2025.
The festival featured Kenyan-American writer Mukoma wa Ngugi, the fifth child of the legendary Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who passed on in May. Mukoma was the headline guest writer for the festival and had an “Up Close and Personal” conversation with culture communicator, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo (Programme Chair of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA)).
Mukoma reflected on his father’s legacy, noting that he doesn’t feel the pressure of carrying his father’s literary heritage, stating, “I don’t feel any pressure. I’m just his son, extremely proud of the name”. He revealed that the writing talent runs deep in his family, with the patriarch, his three sons (Tee, Nducu, Mukoma), and daughter (Wanjiku) all being writers. He mentioned that the family turned their collective genius into workshop sessions, with his father acting as editor and cheerleader.
Mukoma, who writes crime fiction, argued that writers must support the younger generation, finding the new crop of African writers, often MFA products, to be “exciting” and “more global”. He stressed the need for writers to have a conscience that translates into action, citing the example of South African writer Zukiswa Wanner protesting the situation in Palestine.
The QFest 2025 also served as a platform for vital conversations on literature and culture, including two major panels.
The session “Cultivating Tomorrow’s Readers and Leaving Legacies that Last,” moderated by Shope Martins, explored the role of children’s literature in shaping identity, preserving culture, and promoting inclusivity, especially for children living with disabilities.
* Author and journalist Henry Akubuiro emphasised the moral responsibility of writers to give a voice to marginalised communities, stating, “We must tell untold stories”.
* Ndidi Chiazor lamented the erosion of Nigerian culture in children’s lives, stressing the importance of embedding indigenous culture and language into contemporary children’s literature.
* Jesutofunmi Fekoya called for more visibility for Nigerian children’s literature, encouraging the creation of “magical realism that reflects our environment”.
Another panel, “The Place of Anthologies and Short Stories in a Literary Ecosystem,” moderated by Anote Ajeluorou, examined the enduring relevance of short fiction.
* Columnist and novelist Sam Omatseye highlighted the technical difficulty of writing short stories, stating, “A short story demands precision”.
* Terh Agbedeh pointed to the decline in reading culture, noting that people often undervalue literature because they see no tangible reward.
* Henry Akubuiro stressed the importance of anthologies in preserving voices and chronicling social evolution, urging young writers to submit their works for valuable exposure.
Additionally, QFest 2025 included conversations around books on the Nigerian Civil War, such as Hubris: A Brief Political History of the Nigerian Army by Dr. Akintunde Akinwumi and My Name Is Okoro by Sam Omatseye, as part of efforts to heal historical pain.
The event reaffirmed Quramo’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of African writers and amplifying diverse voices.
