The 9th edition of PaGya! A Literary Festival in Accra took place from October 17-19, 2025, bringing together writers, poets, performers, academics, and literary practitioners for three days of vibrant programming.

Organized by the Writers Project of Ghana, Goethe-Institut Ghana, and the Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana, the festival featured readings, panel discussions, performances, book launches, film screenings, and exhibitions. The festival engaged all literary forms, fiction, poetry, spoken word, comic and graphic novels, creative non-fiction, and literary blogging, while providing space for booksellers, publishers, and independent authors to showcase and sell their books.

Panel discussions tackled pressing contemporary issues. “Can African Writers Use AI without being used by it?” brought together Famia Nkansa, Kobby Graham, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Rose Afriyie, and Audrey-Bertha Nuerki Nartey. “Building literary communities across colonial borders: Linguistic and other challenges” featured Edwige Dro, Mamadou Ngom, and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers exploring pan-African literary connections.

“Writing Women’s Lives: Spotlighting hidden figures” featured Christa Kuljian, Ama Asantewa Diaka, and Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah in a panel moderated by Aziza Atta. Kuljian also led a workshop on techniques for writing nonfiction. Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah appeared in multiple sessions, including “Seeking Sexual Freedom: African Rites, Rituals, and Sankofa in the Bedroom,” moderated by Rose Afriyie.

A dramatized reading of “My Parents Marriage” by Nana Ekua Brew Hammond brought fiction to life on stage. Ayaz Shah and Alice Johnson led a discussion on translating cultural and emotional depth from page to performance. Other highlights included “Estranging the Ordinary: Speculative Technologies – Reprogramming the Social Machine” facilitated by Pauline Jansen Van Rensburg, and “Tar Baby: The return of distant cousins” featuring Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey, Ama Asantewa Diaka, Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, Fui Can-Tamakloe, and Yibor Kojo Yibor, moderated by Crystal Tettey.

The festival also included Samuel Otoo’s talk on spinal health and work-related musculoskeletal disorders caused by writing, titled “Prevention over Incision: Move it or Lose it,” and a zine-making workshop.

PaGya! continues to serve as a vital gathering space for Ghana’s literary community and practitioners from across Africa and the diaspora.

See more photos from the Writers Project of Ghana’s social media assets below: