Wimbledon BookFest announces partnership with Lahore Literary Festival

Wimbledon BookFest has announced its partnership with Lahore Literary Festival for the second year. The festival, which takes place from Thursday 17th to Sunday 27th October 2024, will include events celebrating South Asian voices.

This year’s expanded programme will be headlined by broadcaster Mishal Husain who will discuss her new book Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence, while Baroness Sayeeda Warsi will be examining the rise of Islamophobia in British politics and culture, also the subject of her book Muslims Don’t Matter.

The rest of the programme includes Aliya Ali-Afzal and Saima Mir, Wimbledon-based actress and writer Sudha Bhuchar, as well as Subhadra Das and Roma Agrawal.

This year’s festival will also include a focus on South Korea, including Seoul Food, the festival’s celebration of the country’s food culture, as Su Scott and Seji Hong discuss identity, immigration and how food can connect people.

Fiona Razvi, festival founder and director, said: “We believe in the power of sharing stories and how this helps us understand the world and each other. At a time when freedom of expression is increasingly under attack, we are delighted to be expanding our global partnerships and collaborations to offer world-class speakers and exhilarating events that connect across borders and open up a world of ideas and connections to our audience here in Wimbledon.”

This year’s festival’s headline speakers include Elif Shafak, Richard E Grant, Clare Balding, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Rick Stein, Mary Berry, William Boyd, Tim Spector, Caroline Lucas and Sir Geoff Hurst.

Wimbledon Bookfest, now in its 17th year, will run in venues across Wimbledon including Merton Arts Space at Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon High School and the New Wimbledon Theatre.