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FESTIVAL EVENTS

Over 20 outstanding events, from workshops to conversations to riveting readings and performances

How We Do It – Writing Masterclass with Jericho Brown

Take a deep dive into the nuances of language and form with Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Jericho Brown. Whether you’re an aspiring poet hungry for guidance or a seasoned writer looking to refresh your perspective, this masterclass offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most profound contemporary voices.

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 11am
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available).

Writing the Personal: Creative Non-fiction Workshop with Bassey Ikpi

From memory to manuscript, bestselling author Bassey Ikpi takes us into the depth and richness of writing your personal story with authenticity and flair. This creative non-fiction workshop is an immersive journey of self-exploration and literary craftmanship. Perfect for writers at every level looking to elevate their personal stories into universally resonant narratives.

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 2pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available)

Opening Cocktail and Performances

As the sun sets and stars emerge, join us for an evening of cocktail and performances at the festival’s official opening event with readings and performances from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Slovenia, Germany, Gambia, and the UK. Featuring: Faith Moyosore, Kweku Abimbola, Ruth Mahogany, Chika Jones, and Apiorkor (Host).

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 7pm
📍 US Consul General’s Residence, 25 Modupe Alakija Crescent, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Speaking in Other Tongues: A Translation Workshop with Brane Mozetic and Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún

For writers, linguists, or anyone with a passion for global literature and culture, Speaking in Other Tongues offers a unique opportunity for storytellers looking to expand their works into other languages. Join acclaimed Nigerian and Slovenian writers, poets and linguists, Brane Mozetic and Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún in a special hands-on session, with dialogue and discussions, and a collaborative exploration of texts that deepen our understanding of the transcultural subtleties that make literary translation a critical practice in a globalized world.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 11am
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available).

From Memory to the Back Seat – A Performance Poetry Workshop with Nana Asaase

This Performance Poetry workshop would seek to explore various facets of the creative process, from conceptualization, through writing till the performance hits the last row. It would be an interactive multi-disciplinary performance art conversation and time of sharing. By the end of this workshop, relevant topics like sources of creative ideas and memorization techniques, would have been covered. It would see practical demonstrations from both facilitator and participants, as well as group activities. Come with questions, contributions, confusions and experiences.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 1pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available.)

Love Offers No Safety

Love Offers No Safety: Nigeria’s Queer Men Speak is a groundbreaking anthology exploring the tenderness and struggle of Nigerian queer male experiences. Join Jude Dibia and Olumide Makanjuola as they consider the limitations and liberties of love in contemporary Nigerian society, confront and reconsider long-held notions of masculinity, challenge restrictive frames of gender, and unpack the courage and vulnerability that riffles through this moving collection of stories. Moderated by Chimee Adioha.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 2pm
📍 Hybrid event: Virtual/Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Gotta Find Peace of Mind: A Working Artist’s Guide to Selfcare and Wellness

Moderated by Aanu Jide-Ojo, we channel the collective wisdom of seasoned psychotherapist, Amanda Iheme, and celebrated author and mental health advocate, Bassey Ikpi, for a conversation exploring sustainable artistic practices that center self-care and wellness, emotional resilience in the arts, and strategies for maintaining mental equilibrium amidst creative pressures.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 3:30pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

“I Hear You”: Readings and Performances by Nigerian and Slovenian Poets in Translation

Three Nigerian poets join three Slovenian poets and writers in reading and performing each other’s work in their own language. Don’t miss Àrẹ̀mọ Gemini, Karlo Hmeljak, 78th Psalmist, Veronika Razpotnik, Ismail Bala, and Brane Mozetic as they expand portals of knowledge through the collaborative practice of literary translation.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 4:35pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Here and Now: Anthology Launch

Celebrate the culmination of a profound transatlantic journey at the launch of the “Here and Now” anthology, a collaborative project between LIPFest, Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s creative writing center, and the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD). Published as a special edition of the festival’s second annual print issue of Márọkọ́, this unique collection is a testament to the magic that unfolds when diverse voices converge, inspired by their shared experiences across Scotland, Ghana, and Nigeria.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 5:45pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Preface: Tares Oburumu and Abu Bakr Sadiq

Recent winners of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, Tares Oburumu and Abu Bakr Sadiq discuss their award-winning debuts in a session x-raying the challenges and triumphs of what a promising literary career looks like at the start. Moderated by writer and critic, Paul Liam.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 10:30 am
📍 Hybrid event: Virtual/Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Tell It Slant… A Poetry Concert Like No Other

Don’t miss this evening of poetry, music, and a pulsating symphony of local and international voices, with performances by: Jericho Brown, Bassey Ikpi, Genevieve Carver, Nana Asaase (Host), Toby Abiodun, Deborah Johnson, Apiorkor, Karlo Hmeljak, Dwin the Stoic, Iyanu Adebiyi, Tanasgol Sabbagh, and David Odiase.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 8pm
📍 Alliance Française| Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available.)

Silk Routes for African Verse: A Creative Economy Conversation on Publishing and Distributing African Stories and Poetry

In this pivotal conversation centering the vibrant creative economy of African storytelling and poetry, we discuss the avenues and strategies for publishing and distributing African narratives globally, with industry stalwarts, Ojiugo Uche, Eghosa Imasuen, Adedotun Eyinade, Adedayo Agarau, and Richard Ali (Moderator). For writers, poets, readers and enthusiasts eager to understand the intricacies of the publishing world, this session offers rich insights into the ever-evolving landscape of African literature, charting future paths for African stories and poetry in the global marketplace.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 12pm
📍 Hybrid: Virtual, Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

“Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.”

Join us for an immersive journey into the natural world through the captivating words of Amanda Thomson, Genevieve Carver, and Taiye Ojo. This event combines insightful readings and engaging conversations, offering a unique opportunity to explore the beauty, wonder, and ecological concerns of our environment through their distinct literary perspectives.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 1:15pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Lyric Portals to Past and Future Events

Alycia Pirmohamed’s Another Way to Split Water paints an intimate portrait of family across generations. Using elements from the natural world, she touches on themes of language, migration, and belonging, weaving tales that reshape and redefine identity.

According to Keguro Macharia, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo writes a poetry of place. With a growing body of work including two chapbooks (Dagoretti Corner, 2016, Blue Mothertongue, 2010), one EP, several published poems, essays, and films, Ngwatilo’s work is a mesmerizing blend of vivid imagery, rhythmic language, and profound introspection, traversing landscapes both external and internal, illuminating the complexities of identity, culture, and human connection with a unique and resonant voice.

In an enriching event of conversation and readings both poets share insights from their works and offer a space to explore how poetry can be a vehicle for interrogating the past and anticipating the future through personal and communal lenses.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 2:30pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Where Stories Come From

Journey into the heart of storytelling with two remarkable authors, Edwige Renée-Dro and Heather Parry, as they discuss the origins and intricacies of myths and tales that reverberate across cultures yet root themselves in unique contexts. In Mythmaking Universalities, we unearth the sources of stories and explore the common threads and divergences in mythmaking across different cultures and traditions.

Heather Parry’s chilling debut novel, “Orpheus Builds a Girl,” tells a story of love, obsession, and the power and danger of stories and who gets to tell them.

From the Ivorian shores, Edwige Renée Dro, a writer, translator, and literary activist, brings a wealth of perspectives grounded in her diverse body of work and her co-founding venture, Abidjan Lit. Her stories, often deeply rooted in African contexts, resonate with universal themes and emotions, offering a rich oeuvre that challenge, inform, and enthrall.

Join us for an enlightening exploration of how stories shape, mirror, and challenge our understanding of the world around us. Moderated by Eghosa Imasuen.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 3:45pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Unlayering the Self: Wana Udobang in Conversation with Bassey Ikpi

In her instantly bestselling memoir I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying, Bassey Ikpi’s radical candor challenges our understanding of mental health, normalcy, and the duality of truth and fiction. In conversation with beloved poet and writer, Wana Udobang, both explore the dichotomies of truth and myth, vulnerability and strength, and confront the complexities of what it means to unlayer the self in a world obsessed with curated realities, where authenticity and vulnerability can both attract and terrify, heal and wound.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 5pm
📍Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Tenderness As Resistance

Join Jericho Brown and Kweku Abimbola as they explore the ways in which tenderness challenges, disrupts, and redefines power dynamics, zooming in and out of their respective seminal collections, The Tradition and Saltwater Demands a Psalm. Jericho Brown’s unapologetic exploration of blackness, queerness, and the everyday violence wrought upon our bodies and spirits is offset by moments of profound intimacy and softness—a call to witness and resist in the same breath. Kweku Abimbola’s Saltwater Demands a Psalm sings its own hymn of resistance, drawing on ancestral rhythms and the relentless tug of diaspora. Navigating the intricate terrains of identity and displacement, the collection resonates with a yearning for belonging, balanced by the acceptance of the often tumultuous journey to self-discovery. Moderated by Richard Ali.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 6:15pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Reciting the City

The city, with its unending buzz and ceaseless motion, has stories whispered in every corner. From the bustling markets to silent alleyways, from towering skyscrapers to hidden basements—every brick and pavement holds a tale. Join us for Reciting the City, an evocative evening where some of Nigeria’s finest young poets breathe life into urban narratives. Experience the rhythm of traffic jams, the murmurs of evening vendors, the silent gazes of strangers, and the secret hopes of dreamers looking up at city lights. Through their words, Iyanu Adebiyi, Tobi Abiodun, IB, Faith Moyosore, Oloyede Tom, and Taiye Ojo, will transport you to familiar lanes and unknown pathways, revealing the heart and soul of the city.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 8pm
📍 37 Lagos, at 37 Glover Court, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Come to the Water

Embrace the tranquility of Sunday morning as we invite you to a serene and meditative experience. Join us for a morning that intertwines the grace of yoga with the beauty of poetry, featuring readings by a remarkable lineup of artists including Genevieve Carver, Chika Jones, Tanasgol Sabbagh, Veronika Razpotnik, Ismail Bala, and Nana Asaase.

In addition to our curated performances, we’re opening the mic to you. Bring your thoughts, bring your verses, and join us in a communal space where hearts and words unite. This is more than an event; it’s a journey of self-discovery and collective connection. Don’t miss this opportunity to nurture your soul and share your voice with us.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 10:30am
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Feminist Joy as Resistance

A space with creatives, activists, and Nigerian feminists in a gathering that inspires rest, joy and agency as part of our toolkit for liberation. An early afternoon of music and poetry, culminating with a reflection-based panel discussion led by Ohotuowo Ogbeche, Omolara Oriye, Wana Udobang, Aanu Jide-Ojo, Nana Sule, with music and performances by the Ignis Brothers, Obii Ifejika, Kamnelechukwu, and Kafayat Quadri. Join us as we reflect on the capitalist demands that extol relentless efficiency and production, champion the radical act of choosing rest, and inspire the spirit of collective transformation using the lived experiences and creativity of women and gender-diverse persons.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 12pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Film Screening: I Am Still With You

Titled after Emmanuel Iduma’s 2023 memoir about individual and collective loss that have shaped him, his family, and our country Nigeria, this event presents four short films from Nigerian (& diasporic Nigerian) filmmakers that explore moving on in the wake of grief/loss/trauma. Together, these films show many ways that both events of traumatic losses and the people we lose in them continue to live with/in us.

The five films follow a journey, starting with Azuya’s Swimming in a Sea of Trauma (2022), a ghost story about memories of the Biafran War which paints the emotional landscape of trauma. Caleb Femi’s Survivor’s Guilt (2019) uses humour and poetry to illustrate the burden of guilt and disbelief survivors often face. Kasumu’s Losing Joy (2022) is a fiction short set on the 1-year anniversary of Joy’s death as Faith, Joy’s sister struggles with the fact of her reality. Abba’s You Matter to Me (2022) is a personal documentary that explores her parents’ ideas around finding joy despite the loss and tensions in their lives. The post-screening discussion/reflection will be on themes of loss, family, grief and community as invoked by the films.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 1:30 pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

LIPFest 2023 Poetry Slam

Ten shortlisted poets battled it out for One Million Naira in this contest of words, wit and courage. Don’t miss the festival’s annual poetry slam. Join us as we crown a new champion with Dike Chukwumerije returning as this year’s Slam Master.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 3pm – 4:30pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Folklores and Gyrations of the Oppressed

Enchanting folktales, songs, and cultural celebration. For Folklores and Gyrations of the Oppressed, we’ll be revisiting tales of resilience, pre-colonial traditions, and Afrocentric fantasies that have shaped our culture. This event brings to life the entertainment of village squares and cityscapes and adds a touch of humor to everyday life.

We’ll also have a story jar where the audience can participate by selecting a story to share or even contribute their own favorite folklore in a spirit of togetherness. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage of folktales and songs.

Hosted by Oloyede Tom.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 5pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Poetry After Dark

Get ready to ignite your senses at the LIPFest 2023 closing party, “Poetry After Dark.” Join us for a night of sheer indulgence as we bring together your beloved writers, authors, and poets for an evening that promises to be unforgettable.

As we bid farewell to the festival, we’ll do so in the most seductive way possible—with an intoxicating blend of erotic poetry, soul-stirring music, tantalizing drinks, and rhythmic dance. This is not just a party; it’s a celebration of passion and artistry that will leave you spellbound.

📅 29th October, 2023
🕒 8pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000

How We Do It – Writing Masterclass with Jericho Brown

Take a deep dive into the nuances of language and form with Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Jericho Brown. Whether you’re an aspiring poet hungry for guidance or a seasoned writer looking to refresh your perspective, this masterclass offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most profound contemporary voices.

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 11am
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available).

Writing the Personal: Creative Non-fiction Workshop with Bassey Ikpi

From memory to manuscript, bestselling author Bassey Ikpi takes us into the depth and richness of writing your personal story with authenticity and flair. This creative non-fiction workshop is an immersive journey of self-exploration and literary craftmanship. Perfect for writers at every level looking to elevate their personal stories into universally resonant narratives.

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 2pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available)

Opening Cocktail and Performances

As the sun sets and stars emerge, join us for an evening of cocktail and performances at the festival’s official opening event with readings and performances from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Slovenia, Germany, Gambia, and the UK. Featuring: Faith Moyosore, Kweku Abimbola, Ruth Mahogany, Chika Jones, and Apiorkor (Host).

📅 26th October, 2023
🕒 7pm
📍 US Consul General’s Residence, 25 Modupe Alakija Crescent, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Speaking in Other Tongues: A Translation Workshop with Brane Mozetic and Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún

For writers, linguists, or anyone with a passion for global literature and culture, Speaking in Other Tongues offers a unique opportunity for storytellers looking to expand their works into other languages. Join acclaimed Nigerian and Slovenian writers, poets and linguists, Brane Mozetic and Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún in a special hands-on session, with dialogue and discussions, and a collaborative exploration of texts that deepen our understanding of the transcultural subtleties that make literary translation a critical practice in a globalized world.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 11am
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available).

From Memory to the Back Seat – A Performance Poetry Workshop with Nana Asaase

This Performance Poetry workshop would seek to explore various facets of the creative process, from conceptualization, through writing till the performance hits the last row. It would be an interactive multi-disciplinary performance art conversation and time of sharing. By the end of this workshop, relevant topics like sources of creative ideas and memorization techniques, would have been covered. It would see practical demonstrations from both facilitator and participants, as well as group activities. Come with questions, contributions, confusions and experiences.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 1pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available.)

Love Offers No Safety

Love Offers No Safety: Nigeria’s Queer Men Speak is a groundbreaking anthology exploring the tenderness and struggle of Nigerian queer male experiences. Join Jude Dibia and Olumide Makanjuola as they consider the limitations and liberties of love in contemporary Nigerian society, confront and reconsider long-held notions of masculinity, challenge restrictive frames of gender, and unpack the courage and vulnerability that riffles through this moving collection of stories. Moderated by Chimee Adioha.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 2pm
📍 Hybrid event: Virtual/Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Gotta Find Peace of Mind: A Working Artist’s Guide to Selfcare and Wellness

Moderated by Aanu Jide-Ojo, we channel the collective wisdom of seasoned psychotherapist, Amanda Iheme, and celebrated author and mental health advocate, Bassey Ikpi, for a conversation exploring sustainable artistic practices that center self-care and wellness, emotional resilience in the arts, and strategies for maintaining mental equilibrium amidst creative pressures.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 3:30pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

“I Hear You”: Readings and Performances by Nigerian and Slovenian Poets in Translation

Three Nigerian poets join three Slovenian poets and writers in reading and performing each other’s work in their own language. Don’t miss Àrẹ̀mọ Gemini, Karlo Hmeljak, 78th Psalmist, Veronika Razpotnik, Ismail Bala, and Brane Mozetic as they expand portals of knowledge through the collaborative practice of literary translation.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 4:35pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Here and Now: Anthology Launch

Celebrate the culmination of a profound transatlantic journey at the launch of the “Here and Now” anthology, a collaborative project between LIPFest, Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s creative writing center, and the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD). Published as a special edition of the festival’s second annual print issue of Márọkọ́, this unique collection is a testament to the magic that unfolds when diverse voices converge, inspired by their shared experiences across Scotland, Ghana, and Nigeria.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 5:45pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Preface: Tares Oburumu and Abu Bakr Sadiq

Recent winners of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, Tares Oburumu and Abu Bakr Sadiq discuss their award-winning debuts in a session x-raying the challenges and triumphs of what a promising literary career looks like at the start. Moderated by writer and critic, Paul Liam.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 10:30 am
📍 Hybrid event: Virtual/Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Tell It Slant… A Poetry Concert Like No Other

Don’t miss this evening of poetry, music, and a pulsating symphony of local and international voices, with performances by: Jericho Brown, Bassey Ikpi, Genevieve Carver, Nana Asaase (Host), Toby Abiodun, Deborah Johnson, Apiorkor, Karlo Hmeljak, Dwin the Stoic, Iyanu Adebiyi, Tanasgol Sabbagh, and David Odiase.

📅 27th October, 2023
🕒 8pm
📍 Alliance Française| Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ ₦3,000 (Limited seats available.)

Silk Routes for African Verse: A Creative Economy Conversation on Publishing and Distributing African Stories and Poetry

In this pivotal conversation centering the vibrant creative economy of African storytelling and poetry, we discuss the avenues and strategies for publishing and distributing African narratives globally, with industry stalwarts, Ojiugo Uche, Eghosa Imasuen, Adedotun Eyinade, Adedayo Agarau, and Richard Ali (Moderator). For writers, poets, readers and enthusiasts eager to understand the intricacies of the publishing world, this session offers rich insights into the ever-evolving landscape of African literature, charting future paths for African stories and poetry in the global marketplace.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 12pm
📍 Hybrid: Virtual, Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

“Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.”

Join us for an immersive journey into the natural world through the captivating words of Amanda Thomson, Genevieve Carver, and Taiye Ojo. This event combines insightful readings and engaging conversations, offering a unique opportunity to explore the beauty, wonder, and ecological concerns of our environment through their distinct literary perspectives.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 1:15pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Lyric Portals to Past and Future Events

Alycia Pirmohamed’s Another Way to Split Water paints an intimate portrait of family across generations. Using elements from the natural world, she touches on themes of language, migration, and belonging, weaving tales that reshape and redefine identity.

According to Keguro Macharia, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo writes a poetry of place. With a growing body of work including two chapbooks (Dagoretti Corner, 2016, Blue Mothertongue, 2010), one EP, several published poems, essays, and films, Ngwatilo’s work is a mesmerizing blend of vivid imagery, rhythmic language, and profound introspection, traversing landscapes both external and internal, illuminating the complexities of identity, culture, and human connection with a unique and resonant voice.

In an enriching event of conversation and readings both poets share insights from their works and offer a space to explore how poetry can be a vehicle for interrogating the past and anticipating the future through personal and communal lenses.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 2:30pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Where Stories Come From

Journey into the heart of storytelling with two remarkable authors, Edwige Renée-Dro and Heather Parry, as they discuss the origins and intricacies of myths and tales that reverberate across cultures yet root themselves in unique contexts. In Mythmaking Universalities, we unearth the sources of stories and explore the common threads and divergences in mythmaking across different cultures and traditions.

Heather Parry’s chilling debut novel, “Orpheus Builds a Girl,” tells a story of love, obsession, and the power and danger of stories and who gets to tell them.

From the Ivorian shores, Edwige Renée Dro, a writer, translator, and literary activist, brings a wealth of perspectives grounded in her diverse body of work and her co-founding venture, Abidjan Lit. Her stories, often deeply rooted in African contexts, resonate with universal themes and emotions, offering a rich oeuvre that challenge, inform, and enthrall.

Join us for an enlightening exploration of how stories shape, mirror, and challenge our understanding of the world around us. Moderated by Eghosa Imasuen.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 3:45pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Unlayering the Self: Wana Udobang in Conversation with Bassey Ikpi

In her instantly bestselling memoir I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying, Bassey Ikpi’s radical candor challenges our understanding of mental health, normalcy, and the duality of truth and fiction. In conversation with beloved poet and writer, Wana Udobang, both explore the dichotomies of truth and myth, vulnerability and strength, and confront the complexities of what it means to unlayer the self in a world obsessed with curated realities, where authenticity and vulnerability can both attract and terrify, heal and wound.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 5pm
📍Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)

Tenderness As Resistance

Join Jericho Brown and Kweku Abimbola as they explore the ways in which tenderness challenges, disrupts, and redefines power dynamics, zooming in and out of their respective seminal collections, The Tradition and Saltwater Demands a Psalm. Jericho Brown’s unapologetic exploration of blackness, queerness, and the everyday violence wrought upon our bodies and spirits is offset by moments of profound intimacy and softness—a call to witness and resist in the same breath. Kweku Abimbola’s Saltwater Demands a Psalm sings its own hymn of resistance, drawing on ancestral rhythms and the relentless tug of diaspora. Navigating the intricate terrains of identity and displacement, the collection resonates with a yearning for belonging, balanced by the acceptance of the often tumultuous journey to self-discovery. Moderated by Richard Ali.

📅 28th October, 2023
🕒 6:15pm
📍 Alliance Française | Mike Adenuga Center, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi
🎟️ FREE ENTRY (Registration required)