Lola Shoneyin talks arts, culture, literature as event celebrates fifth anniversary

The event returns again this year in Abeokuta, Ogun State from November 14 -18, 2017.

For Ake Festival, the event organised by Book Buzz Foundation is a gathering of artists, actors, creatives, dancers, illustrators, musicians, novelists, poets, and other enthusiasts. It's a convention for people to learn, connect and celebrate the African arts.

It all started with an idea from Nigerian author and festival director Lola Shoneyin in 2012 and it’s grown to be a must attend event for art lovers from all over the world.

The author of ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

“It’s got a lot to do with my experience as a writer, as an African writer, as a Nigerian writer, you’re going all over the world, to Europe, to the States and you’re talking about your country, you’re talking about Africa, you’re talking about your culture, you’re talking about your people but often you are talking to a sea of white faces", she said.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that but how much better would it be . . . I mean this was my thinking six years ago. How much better would it be if African authors, African creatives can actually talk to Africans”.

For Shoneyin, it was all about creating a space for lovers of African arts and culture with the aim to create an exchange between the audience and speakers.

“It’s just creating a safe space where you can have a lot of creative, a lot of influencers and thinkers in the same space but critically to have such an event, such a safe space on African soil”.

This theme for this year’s festival - “This F-Word and conversations” focuses on women especially female creatives in Africa doing remarkable things.

Shoneyin revealed to Pulse the theme for this year’s festival was actually decided three years ago.

“Because it was our fifth anniversary, we had decided that this year was going to be about women - we were saying it from like three years ago that when it’s our fifth anniversary, this one that we bring all these people from Africa, from all over the world to this place, when it's our fifth anniversary, it’s going to be women and about women,” she said.

The 2017 edition is set to feature an incredible line up of talented women and men including Ghanaian poet and novelist Ama Ata Aidoo, author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, feminist activist Charmaine Pereira, South African novelist Diane Awerbuck, Professor Femi Oyebode, British-Eritrean author Hannah Azieb Pool and many others.

“A lot of things are happening in fives - five musicians, five artists, five poets (female), so it really is about celebrating women and of course our fifth anniversary”, the author shared while speaking about the event highlights.

Nigerian- American fantasy and science fiction author Nnedi Okorafor will also be gracing the festival.

“Nnedi Okorafor is coming and we are so excited about that especially because she’s doing this a day with Nnedi Okorafor that we are organising which we think is really fabulous”.

The Ake festival hosted on the rocky hills of Abeokuta will include activities such as art exhibitions, book chats, film screenings, a musical concert panel discussions, poetry performances, a stage play, storytelling sessions, and a tour of the historical environs. Since inception the festival has been held in Abeokuta.

Byenyan Jessica Bitrus

“Because what we wanted Ake to be: is to be in Abeokuta, to have its own space in Abeokuta. We didn’t want to move it out of Abeokuta because Ake is actually a place in Abeokuta - that’s where Nobel laureate professor Wole Soyinka was born and so we wanted it to be there,” Bitrus shared.

“But we have other festivals that we organise in different states. For instance, this year we organised the Kaduna book and arts festival and then we have other ones we are planning which you will hear about next year. But for now Ake is alway going to be in Abeokuta”.

The festival organiser, Lola Shoneyin credits the event’s buzz and tempo to “lots of social media activity”.

“But I think the most critical parts of organising the festival is actually the planning stage. We try to start organising it way ahead of time - as soon as the festival is over, the next month, we start planning the next one,” she said.