Nairobi Festival of Ideas 2026

“We’ve always been hungry, alone and together.”
Wangechi Mutu,
The End of Eating Everything.

We exist in continuous dialogue with the world and ourselves. We hold the ability to question representation and reconfigure reality through decisive action, bold dialogue and fearless organisation. The 5th edition of Nairobi Litfest, co-presented by Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global, examines the power of speculative cartography and the South to South geographical connections that render new worlds visible. 

It is a joyful congregation of writers, artists and thinkers whose imaginative work and ideas have transcended borders. They have remapped intellectual boundaries across literature, music, visual arts, astronomy, nature, film, technology, history and activism. Presented on the occasion of McMillan Memorial Library’s 95th anniversary, the festival promises a programme that offers new ways of understanding with urgency, playfulness and curiosity.

Nairobi LitFest 2026 will run May 8-10