Kampala Writes LitFest returns for its third edition this August, running August 28–30 in Uganda’s capital, with award-winning Nigerian-born novelist Chika Unigwe headlining as this year’s keynote guest. The festival will be hosted at the Uganda National Cultural Centre/National Theatre in Kampala, curated once again by Goretti Kyomuhendo, who has steered the festival since its founding. This year’s theme, “Where Stories Begin: The Imaginary and the Art of Possibility,” Kyomuhendo said, invites reflection on the origins of storytelling, how new ideas take shape, and how imagination lets writers reconsider history while envisioning alternative futures.

First held in 2024, Kampala Writes LitFest set out to give Ugandan authors, writers, and literature enthusiasts a space to connect and engage in substantive conversation, backed by the Goethe-Institut and the Ugandan German Cultural Society. That inaugural edition mixed panel discussions with publishers and academics alongside performances, readings, film screenings, and a book market, and a second edition followed in 2025, headlined by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. This year’s gathering will again draw writers, poets, publishers, academics, filmmakers, and bookstore owners from across the continent.

For its keynote, the festival has landed one of Nigerian literature’s most internationally recognized names. Unigwe, a professor of Creative Writing at Georgia College who writes in both English and Dutch, is the author of several celebrated works including The Phoenix, Night Dancer, The Middle Daughter, Grace, and the short story collection Better Never Than Late, and remains best known internationally for On Black Sisters’ Street. Her selection continues a pattern of the festival pulling in major continental voices for its keynote slot, following Makumbi’s appearance last year.

The festival has built a reputation quickly for a young event, past editions have drawn comparisons to more established gatherings like Nairobi’s NBO LitFest, the African Book Fair, the Macondo Literary Festival, and Nigeria’s Ake Festival, with past attendees crediting its blend of institutional backing, from partners like Makerere University, the British Council, and this year a partnership with the Caine Prize for African Writing, with a genuinely inclusive, community-driven feel. With its third edition now locking in a headliner of Unigwe’s stature, Kampala Writes LitFest looks set to keep building on that momentum. Full programming details are available here.