The Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF) is preparing for a landmark celebration as it marks its fifth edition this December. Taking place December 19-20, 2025 at Arewa House in Kaduna, Nigeria, this year’s festival centers on the provocative theme “Knowledge Production(s),” offering a timely interrogation of how knowledge is created, preserved, and transmitted within Hausa communities and beyond.

See Images from past events here.

Curated by Open Arts, HIBAF has distinguished itself as the only indigenous language festival in its network, creating a vital space for celebrating Hausa literature, arts, and cultural heritage while connecting creatives across Europe, West Africa, and East Africa. This year’s theme invites participants to explore the layered systems through which Hausa knowledge has been produced across centuries. The festival will examine indigenous knowledge frameworks rooted in oral traditions, communal wisdom, and spiritual practices, tracing how these systems have shaped Hausa philosophy, governance, ethics, and environmental relationships. A key focus will be Ajami, the adaptation of Arabic script to write Hausa and other African languages, which emerged as a transformative medium for documenting religious scholarship, poetry, history, and trade.

Through conversations, performances, recitations, translations, and art exhibitions, HIBAF 2025 will explore deep questions as pathways toward literary and artistic development. The festival invites participants to reflect on the vastness of African knowledge systems, examining how indigenous wisdom remains a dynamic resource for cultural expression, intellectual growth, and global dialogue.

HIBAF 2025 will adopt a hybrid format, combining virtual programming with in-person events at Arewa House. Previous editions have featured book readings, author discussions, cultural performances, art exhibitions, and opportunities for meaningful exchange among writers, artists, scholars, and cultural enthusiasts.

Registration for HIBAF 2025 is now open, welcoming both Hausa speakers and those curious about the language and culture. For more information and to register, visit www.hausabaf.com