#ALitFest20 is Almost Here! Get All the Scoop.

July 27, 2020

The Abuja Literary and Arts Festival (ALitFest) will hold on August 12-15, 2020.

ALitFest is an annual celebration of the arts and literature from across the country. Hosted by the Abuja Literary Society, the three-day event features book readings, panel discussions, film screenings and poetry slams among others.

Now in its third year, ALitFest has become a landmark of Abuja’s cultural scene. The 2020 festival is themed “The Art of Empathy.” With this theme, organizers invite speakers and attendees to explore “the importance, beauty and need for diversity and difference as well as the role of the creative in building bridges within and across societies” with the objective of addressing social issues “such as tribalism, racism, homophobia, misogyny (also misogynoir), classism and other relevant issues.”

For the first time since its founding, the festival will be held virtually and will extend its shores beyond Nigeria to other parts of Africa.

The authors currently lined up for the festival include Helon Habila, Edwige Dro, Sawad Hussain, Dike Chukwumerije, Kola Tobuson, Tsitsi Dangaremgba and Odafe Atogun.

Some of the activities listed on the festival’s program include;

Panel discussions
Book chats
Poetry slam
Writing competitions
Online festival bookstores
Online art exhibitions (with partners)
Film screenings
Poetry readings.

General admission to the festival is free. Go here to make a reservation. Attendees can also purchase “ebook tickets” at 20 USD and a “patron tickets” at 50 USD.

The organizers are also holding a competition with a grand prize of 200,000 USD. See poster below for more info.