Fearless writer Nawal El Saadawi will be headlining the Africa Writes in London, the Royal African Society’s annual literature and book festival.
The 84-year-old Egyptian feminist will be headlining the three-day event that will focus on women writers, new authors and genres as well as a whole lot more: over 50 authors, poets, publishers, performers and academics will take part.
We’re particularly excited by the Sex, Love & Poetry evening on July 1 which will be hosted by Nigerian LGBT rights activist Bisi Alimi; a panel discussion, featuring e-publishers Bahati Books, on how digital is revolutionising reading across the continent; and a performance of The Immigrant by Joy Gharoro- Akpojotor. The play is set in 2116, and tells the story of a Brit seeking asylum in the most powerful continent in the world – the African Union.
Last year, highlights included the Meet the Publishers event where aspiring writers had to elevator-pitch their work. If you’re in London for the festival, do go this year and pitch; it’s less terrifying and more entertaining than it at first sounds.
Find out about the festival and programme at africawrites.org