This 4th edition of NBO Litfest, co-presented by Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global, brings together writers, artists and thinkers to explore alternative knowledge systems. Scheduled for 26 - 29 June 2025 in Nairobi’s public libraries; McMillan Memorial Library, Kaloleni Library and Eastlands Library, the festival presents inspiring thoughts and perspectives from the worlds of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, visual arts and governance. Book your tickets here.
Bia'ni Madsa' Juárez López, Joan Otieno and Waringa Wahome in conversation with Edith Kimani
Indigenous wisdom and climate change
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Green Bunk Stage
Powerhouses in ecological activism and grassroots movements examine the interconnectedness of things and how the roadmap to reversing our ecological reality always existed. Gain insights from Waringa Wahome, an activist, lawyer and political theorist, Joan Otieno, an artist and environmentalist andBia'ni Madsa' Juárez López(Mexico)who advocates for Indigenous peoples and communities to strengthen and consolidate the relationship with their territories and the expressions of their cultures. In conversation with Edith Kimani.
This event has taken place
With the support of Open Society Foundations, South to North series
Deep dive intoAyisha Osori's work, Love Does Not Win Elections about how she ran for the People's Democratic Party's ticket to Nigeria's House of Representatives in 2015 and lost. In conversation with James Murua.
Mugambi Nthiga and Dr. Gil Ndi-Shang in conversation with Kui Kabala
All the world’s a stage
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Ikulu Stage
Cameroonian scholar and author, Dr. Gil Ndi-Shangand award-winning Kenyan playwright, Mugambi Nthiga discuss the interconnected nature of politics and literature and the challenges and successes of using the arts to archive history. In conversation with Kui Kabala.
This event has taken place
With the support of the Ford Foundation-Malunga: Network for Global Justice
William Shoki and Boima Tucker in conversation with Ainehi Edoro
Print to Platform: The Future of Radical Media
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Green Bunk Stage
Africa Is a Country began as a blog challenging Western media clichés. Fifteen years on, it has grown into a platform for critical writing, debate, and imagination across Africa and the diaspora. This panel reflects on AIAC’s evolution, and asks how "little magazines" can keep publishing with purpose in a world of hashtags, disinformation, and digital overload. William Shokiand Boima Tucker will talk with Ainehi Edoro.
Panashe Chigumadzi and Momtaza Mehri in conversation with Carol Oyola
Accessing ancestral wisdom
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Ikulu Stage
British-Somali poet, Momtaza MehriandDr. Panashe Chigumadzi, an award-winning writer and historian break down how to convert research into poetry and prose. Momtaza Mehri is a former Young People’s Poet Laureate for London and works across criticism, translation, anti-disciplinary research practices, education and radio. Dr. Panashe Chigumadzi draws from black studies, settler colonial studies, and indigenous studies. She is the author of These Bones Will Rise Again, a historical memoir reflecting on Zimbabwe's 2017 coup and several dissertations. In conversation wiht Carol Oyola.
Prof. Thumbi Mwangi and Mark Leichena in conversation with Dr Eghosa Imasuen
Riding the Storm: The Untold Story of Africa’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Green Bunk Stage
This panel will examine the groundbreaking collaborations that shaped Africa's COVID-19 response. Key figures who feature in the book, Riding the Storm, and its author will join a panel to examine cooperation among African financial institutions, governments and health organisations in addressing the immediate crisis and creating lasting models for continental self-determination. The discussion will highlight how these partnerships laid groundwork for more integrated African markets and strengthened financial systems that can weather future global disruptions. Prof. Thumbi Mwangiand Mark Leichena will talk with Dr. Eghosa Imasuen.
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Goretti Kyomuhendo and Leïla Slimani in conversation with Aleya Kassam
The woman as free
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Green Bunk Stage
Creating complex portraits of womanhood has been a through line across the works of award-winning authors Leila Slimani, a Franco-Moroccan author and journalist, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, whose debut novel When We Were Birds won the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and, Goretti Kyomuhendo, one of Uganda’s leading novelists and founding member of Ugandan Women Writers’ Association, FEMWRITE. The trio take a deep dive into the necessity of this firm resolve across their fiction and non-fiction work. In conversation with Aleya Kassam.
Wanjiru Koinange, Angela Wachuka and Keith Ang'ana in conversation
A Palace for The People: Where were you on June 25th?
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Green Bunk Stage
Book Bunk founders Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange host a special live edition of their podcast, A Palace for the People, an exploration of culture and history through shared memory. This interactive session traces the evolution of protest in Kenya as a powerful form of self-expression, resistance, and change, while reflecting on the role of public libraries as both witnesses to and participants in civic action. As part of the recording, the hosts will speak to Keith Ang'ana, Founder of Bunge La Mayut, a platform created for young people to gather and discuss the political affairs of the nation. They will also collect public responses to the prompt: “Where were you on 25th June last year?”, capturing personal reflections on a day that marked a pivotal moment in Kenya’s recent protest history.
Sen. Crystal Asige in conversation with Mamka Anyona
Worth fighting for
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Green Bunk Stage
Discussing disability advocacy and how to create real change with SenatorCrystal Asige. She is an inclusive mobility expert, accessibility auditor, and award-winning musician. The 2024 TIME 100 Next honoree was nominated to the 4th Senate in the 13th Parliament of Kenya to represent persons with disabilities and Special Interest Groups. Senator Asige has been recognised as a “top performing senator” for two consecutive years with five Bills to her name. In conversation with Mamka Anyona.
Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia in coversation with Ngartia
Book Talk: 'Kifo Kisimani'
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Book Talk Stage
Prof.Kithaka wa Mberiatalks all things Kifo Kisimani (Death at the Well), a play about the resilience of everyday people in the face of tyranny. The text that once served as a secondary school setbook in the mid-2000s and is set for a possible stage revival. In conversation with Ngartia.
Prof. Rinaldo Walcott with Mohamed Amin Abdishukri
Reversing cultural erosion
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Ikulu Stage
Prof. Rinaldo Walcott, whoseresearch focuses on the cultural expression of Black life, explore the importance of recovery of indigenous identities and traditional knowledge within marginalised communities to harness social, economic and cultural power. In conversation with Mohamed Amin Abdishukri.
This event has taken place
With the support of the Ford Foundation-Malunga: Network for Global Justice
Dipo Faloyin in conversation with Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata
Book Talk: 'Africa Is Not a Country'
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Book Talk Stage
A chat with Dipo Faloyin, a Nigerian journalist and author of non-fiction novel, Africa Is Not a Country on how his book seeks to reverse the simplistic and stereotypical depictions of the continent. In conversation with Chinny Ukataand Astrid Madimba.
This event has taken place
With the support of Open Society Foundations, South to North series
An interview with James Rugami affectionately known as the “Real Vinyl Guru” and a mainstay in Kenya’s musical landscape. Mr. Rugami has run a record store in Nairobi since 1989. In conversation with Ras Mengesha.
Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia and Jane Obuchi in conversation with Francis Mutegi
Mother tongue on the page
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Green Bunk Stage
Spotlight on literary publishing challenging English hegemony withProf.Kithaka wa Mberia and Jane Obuchi. Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia is a prolific Kiswahili poet and dramatist writer who teaches Linguistics and Languages at the University of Nairobi.Jane Obuchi is a writer, researcher, and teacher who has published a novel, a collection of children’s short stories in Ekegusii and a dictionary of Ekegusii phrasal verbs. In conversation with Francis Mutegi.
Ntone Edjabe and Billy Kahora in conversation with Augustin Trapenard
Experiments in pedagogies
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Ikulu Stage
A conversation with publishers Ntone Edjabeand Billy Kahora who have adopted subversive approaches to the development of creative work across music, film, teaching and publishing. In conversation with Augustin Trapenard.
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo in conversation with Lilly Bekele-Piper
Book Talk: 'When We Were Birds'
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Book Talk Stage
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo discusses her award-winning debut novel, When We Were Birds, a mythic love story set in Trinidad and Tobago. In conversation with Lilly Bekele-Piper.
Neddy Amoga, Mutua Matheka and Eric Wainaina with Ciku Kimeria
For the people, by the people
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Green Bunk Stage
Hear from creatives telling nuanced stories about Kenyan life through their artist endeavours. Eric Wainaina from the NBO Musical Theatre Initiative has written a brown-black love story filled with original Asian-Kenyan and African-Kenyan sounds. Neddy Amogashares how Cinema in Nature blends storytelling, history, and forest trails, transporting audiences into the tension, camaraderie, and courage of the Mau Mau movement. Mutua Matheka is an architecture, travel and conceptual photographer and a Ford Foundation (Africa - No Filter) Fellow whose recent project, FRGMNTS presented Nairobi's skyline through immersive images and sounds. In conversation with Ciku Kimeria.
JoinDennis Mugaa as he discusses his debut short story collection, Half Portraits Under Water which features ten loosely interlinked stories that explore love, loss, and the interconnected nature of human experiences. In conversation with Muthoni Muiruri.
French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimanidiscusses her latest work, The Devil is in the Detail and other writings, a collection of stories and essays examining key topics including Islam and fundamentalism, the importance of literature, and Paris as a symbol of freedom and tolerance. In conversation with Mukami Kowino.
This event has taken place
Supported by Open Society Foundations, South to North project, with the support for the Embassy of France and Alliance Française de Nairobi
