The Lagos International Festival of Illustrations (LIFI), hosted by the Book Buzz Foundation, ran its 2026 edition from September 17 to 19, bringing together nine international illustrators and a cohort of Nigerian illustrators for three days centered on the art and power of illustration in storytelling, representation, and cultural expression.

The international lineup arrived through a set of country partnerships: three Italian illustrators — Elenia Beretta, Giulia Orecchia, and Cynthia Alonso — came through a collaboration with the Embassy of Italy, joined by Polish illustrators Joanna Rusinek, Zosia Dzierżawska, and Zosia Frankowska, and Swiss illustrators Milly Miljkovic, Sophie Hofmann, and Sonya Trolliet.

As part of the festival, the visiting tutors were taken on a tour of what organizers called “the city of excellence”, Lagos itself, spending a full day exploring the city’s arts, culture, and lifestyle. The tour took the group through the J.K. Randle Centre and the National Museum, before continuing to the Department of Graphic Design and the School of Art, Design and Printing at Yaba College of Technology.

Alongside the exhibitions, panel discussions, and portfolio clinics that anchored the festival’s programming, students took part in workshop sessions on storytelling, hands-on craft and painting activities, giving emerging Nigerian illustrators direct, practical time with the visiting tutors over the course of the three days.

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