Afrikadaa magazine has announced the sixth edition of the African Art Book Fair (AABF), running November 19–22, 2026, at the Centre de Ressource Ousmane Sembène in Dakar. The fair returns as part of the 16th Dakar Contemporary African Art Biennale, reflecting the Biennale’s own investment in cultivating a dedicated platform for critical writing and art publishing on the continent.

Rather than positioning itself as a conventional book fair, AABF describes itself as an independent international publishing “anti-fair,” structured around an exhibition, workshops, and a discussion forum centered on the editing and publication of art, photography, design, experimental music, cinema, and activism. The fair is built specifically to spotlight publishing practices that cross disciplinary lines, treating the physical book itself as a medium worth examining alongside the ideas it carries.

This year’s edition turns its attention toward eco-friendly publishing practices, offering independent publishers a space to connect with both art professionals and the general public in service of deeper dialogue around African artistic work. Organizers frame this edition as an opportunity to also examine publishing itself as a curatorial and artistic practice, alongside a broader look at the current state of art criticism on the continent.

Underlying all of this is a more urgent concern organizers have been vocal about: a persistent shortage of critical content, analysis, and aesthetic engagement rooted in deep knowledge of Africa’s artistic, social, and political landscape, a gap they argue threatens how contemporary African and diasporic art gets transmitted and remembered. AABF positions itself as a direct response, part of a broader commitment to defending quality criticism and publishing produced from the continent itself, described by organizers as “a travelling, polymorphous platform” built to insist that African critical production has a permanent place in the written and archived record.

Exhibitor registration and further program details are available via the African Art Book Fair website.