19th Lagos Book & Art Festival dedicated to Niyi Osundare

The 19th Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF) will be dedicated to prominent poet, Niyi Osundare, according to festival organisers.

Mr Toyin Akinosho, Secretary General of the Committee of Relevant Arts(CORA), promoters of the festival said the festival will honour Osundare as “a true national and culture icon” who has influenced a generation of younger poets and writers, encouraging them to find their voice and developing their own styles.

The week-long book festival will feature panel discussions, book readings, conversations around books, art and craft displays, kiddies’ art workshops, book exhibitions, live music and dance as well as incorporating the Green Festival, which is the students and youths segment with its own set of comprehensive largely mentoring events staged within the festival ground.

This year’s theme will be: ERUPTIONS: Global FRACTURES &Collective Humanism.” According to the chair of CORA, Mr Jahman Anikulapo, the theme was chosen because of its relevance to contemporary events around the globe.

“As it is traditional with the CORA, in deciding our theme for every edition, we always look at most cogent development in global political and cultural circuit and try to weigh in on the effects of such on the condition of our collective humanity.

“This year we have resolved to look at emergent strange tendencies in world politics that is rapturing political establishments; for instance, Brexit in the UK; the emergence of an extremist like Donald Trump as president of the bastion of democracy, the United States. And we already have warnings that some parts of Europe could also have their own Trump-like character emerging as leader,” he said.

Despite the theme, Mr. Anikulapo insists that the book will be at the centre of the festival, saying, “The book is the megastar at our ‘fiesta of Ideas and Life’, after all the writer is only as Big as the idea contained in his or her work.”

The festival will hold from November 6-12 at Lagos Freedom Park, according to the festival organisers.

The 18th edition was devoted to Professor Femi Osofian who has been present in all sessions of the festival since it started in 1999.