The UK’s largest celebration of contemporary African and diaspora literature is brought to you by the Royal African Society. Expect a vibrant programme of talks, readings and performance, exploring this year’s theme of Intangible Heritage – a meditation on the things that make us who we are. What parts of our culture are known and felt without being said, and how do they manifest in our stories?

Join us in-person or online. Tickets are available for the full weekend, for Saturday or Sunday, or for the standalone evening events.

• Book for Weekend Tickets (Saturday 30 September – Sunday 1 October 2023)
• Book for Saturday Tickets (Saturday 30 September)
• Book for Sunday Tickets (Sunday 1 October 2023)
• Book for Online Tickets

Please note the following evening events are ticketed seperately:

• Africa Writes: Blitz Bazawule (Fri 29 Sep 2023, 19:00 - 20:30)
• The Edge of Here: Storytelling, Theatre and Music (Sat 30th Sep 2023, 19:30 – 21:00)
• Africa Writes: Kwame Dawes and Claudia Rankine in conversation (Sun 1^st Oct 2023, 19:00 - 20:30) 

A range of festival voices has been brought together by this stellar team of curators: 

Nancy Adimora is an award-winning publishing consultant and the founder of literary Magazine AFREADA.

Sulaiman Addonia is an Eritrean-Ethiopian-British novelist and founder of the Asmara-Addis Literary Festival In Exile.

Ainehi Edoro is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Brittle Paper and Assistant Professor of Global Black Literatures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Angolan-born Kalaf Epalanga is a celebrated author and columnist who fronts the Lisbon-based dance collective Buraka Som Sistema.

Maaza Mengiste is an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and photographer. Her novel, The Shadow King, was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. 

Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian-British playwright and poet. His debut collection Manorism was shortlisted for the TS Elliot and Rathbones Folio Prizes.

Whether you are a savvy enthusiast or curious to explore new writing and learn more about Africa and its literature, Africa Writes will be a rich and exciting experience.