Osofisan, Ofeimun, Komunyakaa to Speak at LIPFest 2021

Osofisan, Ofeimun, Komunyakaa to Speak at LIPFest 2021

 

A diverse pool of writers will be speaking at the Lagos International Poetry Festival 2021 which will run from October 21 to 24. Drawn from across generations, the writers and thinkers which include the Nigerian lawyer and writer, Chuma Nwokolo; Africa’s foremost dramatist, Prof. Femi Osofisan, will anchor conversations and performances on a range of themes, converging on the role of inter-generational support systems in building stronger post-pandemic societies.

While the American poet, Yusef Komunyakaa will deliver a special keynote address, the legendary Saul Williams will headline a massive concert mash-up of music and poetry. Other lined up guests include Nigerian poet and polemicist Odia Ofeimun, an award-winning Ghanaian poet and writer Nana Asaase and Abosede George-Ogan.

Themed ‘Ancestral Imaginings’ LIPFest 2021 will be a hybrid event that will combine expertly curated digital offerings with the festival’s much-missed in-person events, kicking off with an opening cocktail on October 21.

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.

A new feature of this year’s festival is the LIPFest’s poetry slam competition. The inaugural competition emphasises the role of young people in dreaming and building a future that answers the anxieties of today. Shortlisted poets and spoken word artists will be announced on October 19 and will participate at the finale on October 22. The winning poet walks away with N1 million (and gets a performance slot at the festival’s concert evening on October 23 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Related Articles