Plans have been concluded for the Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF) to return to Freedom Park on November 11, 2024, featuring book readings, author talks, art exhibitions, and celebrating Lagos’ thriving cultural scene.
LABAF is an annual arts festival founded in 1999 by the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA), a Nigeria-based cultural organisation.
The idea behind the festival was to commemorate Nigeria’s return to democracy after more than three decades of military regimes and to have a festival that would re-energise the scene and refocus both the young and old, especially the book-reading culture, which was gradually dying.
The theme of this year’s event is Breakout: Hope is a Stubborn Thing.
According to the statement, the event is set to feature six panels that would be focused on 12 books.
“A compelling dialogue taking insights from the book, Parallels and Paradoxes: Exploration in Music and Society would be hosted by notable poet, Aduke Gomez; and lawyer, Toki Mabogunje,” the statement said.
The statement noted that the book, a product of dialogue between celebrated cultural figures, Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said, explores the complex nature of Israeli and Palestinian societies, making it a timely choice for this year’s festival.
Speaking on the festival’s commitment to addressing pressing global issues, the CORA and LABAF’s artistic director, Jahman Anikulapo, said, “We can’t have a festival of ideas at this time and not find a way to accommodate discussions of peace in the Middle East. This book, which is so much about a sense of place, fits in perfectly.”
He also noted that the panel will be moderated by filmmaker, Femi Odugbemi.
This year’s edition is dedicated to the humanist scholar, poet, essayist, prose stylist, dramatist and filmmaker, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who turned 90 on July 13 and whose tireless, lifelong work on the possibilities of the Nigerian project is a cause that CORA holds dear.