Appetisers for 2018 Lagos Book and Arts Festival
The organisers of the annual Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF) have whetted the appetite of the literati with the release of the list of “core books” for the week-long festival slated for November 5 to 11. With the venue still Freedom Park, Lagos, this edition of the festival has as theme, “Renewal: A World that Works for All”. This theme is informed by Nigeria’s 20th year of democratic governance and the fast-approaching sixth general elections.
Against the backdrop of unpleasant reports about Nigeria, the festival will demonstrate the power of literary works in the growth of successful nations and demystifying misconceptions about the nation. The “core books” represent about a third of the publications to be featured in the 20-year old festival. No fewer than 42 publications across the literary genres will be featured while the youth segment of the festival, called the Green Festival, parades 26 books by young authors.
The core books provide the basis for panellists’sessions, readings and conversations at the festival. The books are Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore: From Third World to First; Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad; Julian Zelizer’s The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress and the Battle for the Great Society; Sarah Manyika’s Like a Mule Bringing Ice-Cream to the Sun; Helen Zille’s Not Without a fight; Obafemi Awolowo’s The Strategy and Tactics of the People’s Republic of Nigeria; Akin Mabogunje’s A Measure of Grace; Titus Okereke’s Our Father’s Land; Chude Jideonwo’s Are We the Turning Point Generation? as well as Kingsley Moghalu’s Build, Innovate and Grow: My Vision for Nigeria and Emerging Africa, How the Global Economy’s Last Frontier Can Prosper and Matter.
According to the programme chair of CORA, Jahman Anikulapo, the literary engagement for this edition hangs on the tripod of education, literacy and empowerment.
“LABAF was born out of a desire to help facilitate the rise of the ‘intellect’over ‘emotion’ in the affairs of peoples of our nation,” he said. “The LABAF signposted its mission with the dream to help deepen human capital development in the continent through a systematic spread of enlightenment through the written, painted, sculpted, crafted or spoken text that educate, enlighten, empower and develop the mind.”
The keynote address for the festival will be delivered by the poet, Odia Ofeimun on Friday November 10.