Nigerian novelist and public intellectual Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is set to headline the inaugural edition of the Things Fall Apart Festival, a week-long celebration honoring the enduring legacy of literary giant Chinua Achebe. Organized by the Enugu-based Centre for Memories – Ncheta Ndigbo, the festival will run from June 29 to July 5, 2025, marking a significant expansion of the annual Things Fall Apart Day, now in its fifth year.

Described by the organizers as “a bold attempt to expand the annual Things Fall Apart Day… to a full-blown festival that best approximates the stature of Chinua Achebe in world literature,” the event brings together a diverse array of artists, poets, performers, and thinkers in a rich cultural tribute. Nigerian poet, writer, journalist, and singer James Eze is the Chair of the Planning Committee that is organizing this year’s festival.

Adichie, who is currently promoting her forthcoming novel Dream Count—her first in over a decade—will return home to deliver the festival’s keynote address. Her speech will centre on the theme, “Masculine, Feminine, Human: The Dialogue of Complements in Things Fall Apart”, a reflection that promises to probe Achebe’s work through the lens of gender, identity, and the delicate balance between cultural ideals.

According to the festival organizers, Adichie’s keynote “draws heavily from the festival theme,” and offers a meditation on “the Achebean inheritance”—a tribute to one her biggest literary influences. Adichie’s participation marks a symbolic homecoming and a continuation of the literary conversation that Achebe’s work has long inspired.

The festival will transform Enugu into a dynamic space of cultural remembrance and imagination. Visitors can expect art exhibitions, curated film screenings, guided memory walks, and essay competitions open to students and the general public. A re-creation of the Umuofia village, dramatic performances and staged readings, tech installations, and intimate conversations with cultural thought leaders are also part of the festival’s program.

One of the week’s major highlights will be the special appearance of cast members from the 1987 television adaptation of Things Fall Apart, including Nollywood icon Pete Edochie, who famously portrayed Okonkwo. The festival will also feature a grand appearance by the Ajofia masquerade, a symbolic figure in the novel, within the reimagined village setting.

With the addition of Adichie, this year’s Things Fall Apart Festival is not one to miss!