The third edition of the Quramo Festival of Words, organized by Quramo Publishing, will take place from October 1-3 at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos. The festival, which is held annually, invites writers to explore a selected theme through poetry, book chats, panel discussions, film and more.

Last year’s festival, themed “Creativity Reset: The Future of Words” aimed at “interrogating the adjustments resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, globally.” This year, the theme is “Transcendence: Words Defying” to celebrate the resilience of the creative industry and communities against the challenges of pandemic conditions. 

The theme honors the resilience of the creative industry in spite of two years of severe pandemic conditions. As Executive Publisher Quramo Publishing Mrs. Gbemi Shasore notes, 

This year’s theme, Transcendence: Words Defying is apt, as it captures the struggles of creative’s who, though amongst the worst hit and the most stifled, during and after a pandemic, are constantly seeking meaning and restoration through all the traditional and alternative modes of creative expression that words allow.

The festival theme will also touch on digital technology and its impact on literary culture in terms of the production and consumption of literary content.

”With the popularity of Podcasts, Zoom, Instagram, Club–House, WhatsApp, and many other virtual platforms for expression, words have taken on different forms; from written texts to audio documents and visual texts, as such, this festival will explore the effectiveness of these new forms in the age of clampdowns.

From social media bans to worsening inflation, brain drain and numerous killings across Nigeria and Africa, Quramo Festival of Words, QFest will look at a dynamic range of human issues in the throes and aftermath of a pandemic, and how different artists explore these issues and cope with the harsh impacts of the pandemic on the creative industry.”

Ultimately, the 2021 edition will “unravel how storytellers and creative’s around the world, have modified words – for enlightenment and restoration, and as an effective tool in the fight for social justice and equality.” Among the lineup of 50 guests are Professor Ahmed Yerima, Dike Chukwumerije, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Femi Odugbemi.

The winner of the Quramo Writers’ Prize which rewards an unpublished manuscript with a cash prize + publication, will be announced at the festival.

General inquiries should be addressed to [email protected]