Image sourced from Abuja Literary & Arts Festival’s Instagram.

The 2023 Abuja Literary and Arts Festival just ran from September 3–9, 2023 and it was a resounding success. The 6th edition of the festival featured the theme “Becoming One with the Other”.

The festival was hosted by the Abuja Literary Society. The theme of the festival aimed to promote empathy, understanding, inclusivity and showcase various art forms from different cultures, identities, and voices.

The 2023 edition featured an enchanting lineup of book readings, engaging panel discussions, captivating film screenings, an electrifying poetry slam, immersive creative writing workshops, a vibrant book fair, and a captivating art exhibition, among other exciting events.

Day One of ALitFest 2023 officially began with Dike Chukwumerije’s Made In Nigeria Poetry and Theatre production, a clarion call to nation building and a renewed hope in Nigeria. It was a packed house and full of happy faces after the event.

Check out the photos from the performance and its aftermath below:

During Day 2, there was a book chat with Muhammad Sani Dattiio on his book Disruption: Rethinking Governance to Work for the Poor. It was an engaging conversation about governance and creating disruptions in public service. The discussion was followed by an excerpt reading and book signing

Check out the photos from the session:

On September 7, Abuja Lit Fest featured the screening of two insightful films – first “That Whole Area of Grey”, followed by “Report It”, discussing topics of sexual assault and consent. Both short films were brilliantly made by a storytelling initiative for African people called “Shades of Us” and its founder Ramatu Ada Ochekliye.

Check out the videos of the screenings and discussion below:

Next, there was a book chat with Odafe Atogun at the festival. He read excerpts from his book Cabal, signed copies, and discussed his writing process with participants at the book chat.

Here are some moments from the conversation with Odafe Otagun:

Finally, we had the Grand Poetry Slam and the sensational Books and Art Fair Day. Both were absolutely packed and bustling.

See the videos below:

The final event of the festival was the keynote panel titled “Becoming One with the Other” on September 9. Dike Chukwumerije, Deji Ige, Dr Oluwatobiloba Moody, and Abdulkareem Baba Aminu met to investigate the question: ‘Can Art be used as a tool for reconciliation?’

See the video highlights below:

Overall, the 2023 Abuja Literary and Arts Festival was an astounding success and full of bright minds and good energy of literary and artistic folks. We hope that next year’s festival will be just as successful, if not more. Stay tuned!

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Note: All images sourced from Abuja Literary & Arts Festival’s Instagram @alitfest_.