The Sharjah Book Authority will launch its inaugural Sharjah Festival of African Literature this month, bringing together 37 authors from more than 10 nations for a four-day event, held January 24 through 27, in the United Arab Emirates. Headliners include Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka, from Nigeria, and Abdulrazak Gurnah, from Tanzania.
Nigeria provides the largest contingent of authors, including Soyinka, as well as novelist Lola Shoneyin, lawyer and literacy advocate Ifeoma Esiri, and writer Chika Unigwe. Other participating Nigerian and Nigerian-American authors include Hugo and Nebula Award–winning writer Nnedi Okorafor, poet and psychiatrist Dami Ajayi, graphic novelist Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, novelist Nnamdi Ehirim, and writer Fatima Bala.
The festival will also feature authors from several other African nations: from Kenya, storyteller Mara Menzies, publisher Wendy Njoroge, writer Yvonne Owuor, and literary critic Peter Kimani; from Zimbabwe, Tendai Huchu and Petina Gappah; from Uganda, novelist Jennifer Makumbi; from Ghana, speculative fiction author Cheryl Ntumy; and from Botswana, Kenanao Phele, cofounder of the Gaborone Book Festival.
The United Arab Emirates will also be represented by several authors, including Abdulaziz Almusallam, who chairs the Sharjah Institute for Heritage; literary critic Dr. Mariam Alhashmi; poet Shaikha Al Mutairi, and writers Eman Alyousuf and Salha Obaid.
The festival, which aims to strengthen the relationship between the African and Emirati literary communities, will also include cultural performances, with South African soprano Ann Mckayzie and Nigerian filmmaker and music producer Ade Bantu scheduled to appear. It will be preceded by the inaugural Sharjah Literature Festival, running January 17 through 21, which will focus on Emirati books and include educational workshops on topics such as calligraphy, storytelling, and creative arts, alongside panel discussions with authors and thought leaders.
