Fresh from seeing one of its homegrown talents shortlisted for a major continental award, Quramo Publishing is preparing to launch its annual literary showcase, the Quramo Festival of Words (QFest) 2025. The festival, which runs from October 2nd to 5th, is themed “A Brave New World,” signalling a commitment to examining challenging histories, emerging technologies, and bold futures in African storytelling.
For Gbemi Shasore, head of Quramo Publishing, the theme is a direct response to the times. Shasore’s recent trip to Algiers, where the 2023 Quramo Writers’ Prize winner, Dear Zimi, was shortlisted for the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa, served as a powerful reminder of the global reach of local efforts.
“That trip felt like a quiet nudge: the small labours of a modest publisher in Lagos can reach beyond our borders,” Shasore said. “It reminded me that when we nurture writers at home, their stories travel farther than we imagine.”
QFest 2025 aims to be a space where storytellers, publishers, and audiences can engage with a moment demanding courage. The four-day event, primarily held at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, with masterclasses at the Quramo Hub in Victoria Island, is set to host a blend of international and local literary figures.
The festival will feature several high-profile guests, notably Prof. Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, a writer, poet, and scholar from Cornell University. Prof. Mũkoma will lead an “Up Close & Personal” conversation on Saturday, October 4th, offering a rare look into the craft and ideas behind his work on memory, language, and identity across Africa and its diaspora.
Joining him are award-winning Irish poet Stephen James Smith and prominent Kenyan literary critic James Murua. For Shasore, their presence is vital to the festival’s mission: “It’s a reminder of the intergenerational, pan-African, and intercontinental conversations we’re trying to sustain at Quramo.”
The festival opens on Thursday, October 2nd, with masterclasses designed to sharpen the craft of emerging and established creatives. Instructors include Dele Sikuade, BB Sasore, Prof. Mũkoma, and Ghanaian storyteller Prof. Sarah Dorgbadzi.
Friday, October 3rd, is dedicated to nurturing new voices, featuring a conversation with the Quramo Writers’ Prize Top Five finalists, culminating in the evening unveiling of the 2025 winner.
The core of the debate and reflection occurs on Saturday, October 4th. The programme features a Writers Exchange between poets Tade Ipadeola and Stephen James Smith, alongside a crucial public conversation: ‘961 Days: Brothers at War. Never Again,’ a carefully framed discussion on the Nigerian Civil War intended for reflection and healing. Key discussants include Major General Akintunde Akinkunmi (rtd) and historian Ed Keazor.
Saturday afternoon will also honor film storytelling with an exclusive screening of ‘Thicker Than Water’ from Nemsia Studios. The festival concludes on Sunday, October 5th, with a moving documentary by Remi Vaughan-Richards, Sin is a Puppy That Follows You Home.
QFest’s balance is deliberate, offering workshops on craft; panels on urgent contemporary issues like AI, migration, climate, and film distribution; cultural exchanges like Siamsa to explore the intersection of stories with ritual and song; and spoken-word nights for younger voices.
“These sessions are not separate acts—they are parts of one conversation about who we are, what we owe each other, and how storytelling can help us imagine safer, fairer futures,” Shasore concluded, inviting all readers, writers, filmmakers and curious minds to join the conversation in Lagos.
•Featured image: Convener, Quramo Festival of Words (QFest), Mrs. Gbemi Shasore and President, Nigeria Publishers Association, Alhaji Lukman Dauda in Algiers, Algeria at the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa 2025
