The 14th Aké Arts and Book Festival will explore indigenous African knowledge, artificial intelligence and creativity, bringing together prominent writers, poets, publishers and filmmakers under the theme Native Intelligence.
Founder of the Book Buzz Foundation and festival director, Lola Shoneyin, announced that the festival would feature 24 events, including 11 book discussions, six panel sessions, poetry performances, music and film screenings.
Speaking at a media briefing, Shoneyin said the theme challenges the perception that formal education is the only measure of intelligence, while highlighting the knowledge and innovations African communities have developed over generations.
“Those of us who are educated have come to believe that our own intelligence that we have garnered and gained in school is the only kind of intelligence,” she said.
She said the festival would also address contemporary issues, particularly the growing influence of artificial intelligence on creative writing and allegations of AI-generated content against Black and brown writers.
Nigerian writer Jerry Falade is expected to participate in a panel on AI and creativity following controversy surrounding his crime novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, which reportedly attracted a multimillion-dollar publishing deal before its withdrawal amid questions about possible AI involvement.
Shoneyin criticised what she described as the tendency to mistake differences in language and cultural expression for evidence of AI use. She also urged African writers and publishers to strengthen local literary institutions rather than depend on Western recognition.
“We are interested in our own standards. I am interested in us making literary giants right from here, without the West saying to us, this is how we are supposed to write,” she said.
The festival will feature writers including A. Igoni Barrett, Chika Unigwe, Nnamdi Ehirim, Rukiyatu Brume, Nnedi Okorafor and Wole Talabi. Unigwe will discuss her new book, Grace, while other sessions will explore contemporary African fiction and nonfiction.
The programme will also feature partnerships with the Caine Prize for African Writing, Granta magazine and the African Speculative Fiction Society.
Other highlights include a concert featuring Savvy Henry, a screening of the documentary How to Build a Library and the festival's Palmwine and Poetry evening.
Shoneyin also announced that the Lagos State Government would provide ₦20,000 book grants to 100 young people under 25 to purchase books at the festival.
The Aké Arts and Book Festival, organised by the Book Buzz Foundation, began in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and has grown into an international gathering celebrating African literature and cultural expression.
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