Nigerian Author, Lola Shoneyin Set to Host 14th Edition of Akè Arts & Book Festival 

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Summary: The Aké Arts and Book Festival has officially announced dates for its 14th edition under the theme “Native Intelligence”. The festival is Africa’s largest annual gathering of writers, editors, critics, filmmakers, publishers, creatives, and artists, founded by Nigerian author and poet, Lola Shoneyin.

The Aké Arts and Book Festival has officially announced dates for its 14th edition under the theme  “Native Intelligence”. The festival will take place at BON Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State, from Thursday, November 19 to Saturday, November 21, 2026. 

Founded in 2013 by  Nigerian author and poet Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn through the Book Buzz Foundation, the Aké Arts & Book Festival is Africa’s largest annual gathering of writers, editors, critics, filmmakers, publishers, creatives, and artists. The festival promotes, develops, and celebrates African literature, creativity, and reading culture. It was named after Akè, a neighbourhood in Abeokuta, where Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka was born. It was initially held annually in Ogun State from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Lagos in 2018. 

Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn is a renowned Nigerian poet, novelist, publisher, and cultural activist. She is best known as the founder and director of the Aké Arts and Book Festival, and author of the award-winning book, Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. She is also a major driving force in contemporary African literature and cultural institution-building. 

Beyond hosting Aké, Lola curates the Kaduna Book and Arts Festival (KABAFEST) and owns and manages Ouida Books, an independent publishing house and bookstore based in Lagos that champions fresh, contemporary African voices.

This year’s theme, “Native Intelligence,” will examine the relationship and tension between traditional forms of intelligence and the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence. It will spark conversations about what it means to create, remember, and think in the age of artificial intelligence. It will also interrogate how technology is attempting to replicate intelligence, raising critical questions about the origins, ownership, and future of knowledge itself. 

Authors from across the African continent are invited to grace this prestigious occasion. They include Chika Unigwe, Nnedi Okorafor, Irenosen Okojie, Nnamdi Ehirim, Kenyan writer Wanjiru Koinange, Ghanaian writer and cultural commentator Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, filmmaker Wana Udobang, and others. 

This year’s edition will feature panel discussions, intimate book chats, live poetry recitals, art exhibitions, film screenings, and musical performances.