Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, is preparing to host its first-ever Yenagoa Book & Arts Festival (YEBAF) from September 23 to 26, 2024, a cultural showpiece aimed at revitalising the region’s literary and artistic landscape.
Organised by the Annette David-West-led 1402Book Lounge Initiative in partnership with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, YEBAF has chosen the theme “Resilience: How Storytelling Shapes Our Lives,” reflecting the festival’s focus on the enduring power of narratives in shaping culture and identity.
Set against the backdrop of the Niger Delta, a region renowned for its oil wealth, lush mangrove forests and complex network of creeks and waterways, YEBAF is expected to stimulate cultural activities and showcase the region’s artistic talents. The festival’s launch coincides with Yenagoa Book City 2024, which will host the annual conference of the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria (NBRP). With its theme “Loving Books and Securing the Critical Edge in the Running of Book Clubs,” the NBRP conference will run concurrently with the festival, offering a unique blend of literary and cultural discussions.
The Niger Delta, often in the news for its degraded environments due to oil exploration, will experience a cultural rebirth through YEBAF. Bayelsa’s capital, Yenagoa, will become the centre of literary and artistic activity for three days, thanks to the efforts of the 1402Book Lounge Initiative, which runs a bookstore and book club to foster a reading culture among residents.
The festival will also celebrate two cultural giants of the Niger Delta: historian Professor E.J. Alagoa, now 91, and the iconic poet Dr. Gabriel Okara. Their contributions to the region’s cultural heritage will be recognised during the festival’s opening ceremony, where the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Professor Nimibofa Ayawei, will deliver a keynote speech exploring the festival’s theme of resilience.
YEBAF will attract prominent cultural figures from across Nigeria, including two veteran festival organisers, Jahman Anikulapo and Toyin Akinosho, who are behind the 26-year-old Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF). Stage and screen actor Bimbo Manuel will also participate, alongside award-winning poet Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, and Mazi Nwonwu, Senior Correspondent for BBC Igbo and author of the speculative short story collection How to Make a Space Masquerade. Other notable guests include Samuel Osaze, author of The Strange Moon of Yenagoa, and journalist Anote Ajeluorou, known for his works Igho Goes to Farm and Brides of Infidels.
The festival will also host Othuke Ominiabohs, the head of Masobe Books, who will speak on the challenges of book publishing in Nigeria’s volatile economy.
In tandem with the literary festival, the NBRP conference will provide a platform for book clubs across Nigeria to discuss ways of fostering a love for books and improving their operations. Jahman Anikulapo will chair a session, while Josef Nengi Ilagha, also known as “Pope Pen,” will deliver a talk on the importance of cultivating a passion for reading. NBRP President Richard Mammah will oversee the conference and its annual general meeting.
YEBAF aims to position Bayelsa State and the broader Niger Delta region as a cultural destination in Nigeria. The festival is designed to give artists, writers, filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, and theatre practitioners an opportunity to showcase their work and network with both local and international cultural workers. For young artists in particular, the festival offers a rare chance to engage with role models and gain inspiration from the wealth of talent in attendance.
At its core, YEBAF seeks to highlight the untapped cultural potential of the Niger Delta, a region whose narrative has often been dominated by discussions of oil exploitation and environmental degradation. Through literature and the arts, the festival hopes to inspire a new generation of storytellers who will help reshape the region’s identity.
The driving force behind YEBAF, the 1402Book Lounge Initiative, is a community-driven project dedicated to promoting literacy and a love for reading in Bayelsa State. Founded in 2018, the initiative operates on the belief that reading has the power to transform lives, foster empathy, and connect people across cultures. The organization runs a bookstore and book club aimed at making reading more accessible to the people of Bayelsa, particularly young people.
Through events like YEBAF, 1402Book Lounge Initiative hopes to continue fostering a culture of storytelling and literacy in a region where such cultural activities have long been overshadowed by the pressures of oil exploration.
- Featured image: Festival Director, Annette David-West
