Africa Writes returns to Exeter for second year with Aboulela and Kahora

Africa Writes will host the second festival weekend in Exeter from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th July 2023. The events will be hosted in collaboration with independent bookshop Bookbag and creative hub Roots Resistance. 

The festival will celebrate contemporary literature from Africa and the African diaspora with a series of performances, book launches and workshops.

Africa Writes is the UK’s leading platform celebrating the best contemporary African writing and as part of Exeter’s Unesco City of Literature programme, it has been working to establish an Exeter-based edition of the festival. The events are split across three days and three venues; Bookbag, Sacred Grounds & McCoys Arcade and Exeter Phoenix. 

River Spirit (Saqi Books) author Leila Aboulela will be in conversation with writer Billy Kahora on Saturday 8th July in McCoys Arcade. Earlier on, at Bookbag, Louise Umutoni of Rwanda-based publisher Huza Press will be talking to Chika Unigwe about her new book, The Middle Daughter. 

Two poetry and music events will take place on Friday 7th July, featuring Al Saddiq al-Raddi, one of Africa’s leading poets who writes in Arabic, alongside Bryar Bajalan and David Shook. Local collective Roots Resistance will follow, mixing up spoken word, poetry and music. 

Festival workshops include writing for seven to 11-year-olds with Adanko and Chika Unigwe, and poetry with Roots Resistance. More authors and events are also being added.