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November last year, I was in Abeokuta attending the Ake Art and Books Festival. Last year’s festival was themed “Engaging the Fringe,” and I was invited in my capacity as a literary blogger to contribute to conversations around new trends in African literature.

It was an amazing experience, to say the least. I listened to enriching talks and panels on African literature. I also had the chance to facilitate live interview sessions with Chris Abani, Taiye Selasi, E. C. Osondu, Igoni Barrett, and Nnedi Okorafor.

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{You can find a more detailed account of my experience here.}

In the midst of this whirlwind of activities, I sat down to chat with the festival’s media team. The video was posted on Youtube over the weekend. [see below] Watching the video reminded me of how much fun I had chatting with the interviewer. In the video, I talk about my assessment of the contemporary African literary scene and briefly touch on the influence of Soyinka and the Yoruba literary tradition on my work.

Enjoy watching and make sure to share!