By Simpson Global Media News Desk
Date: Thursday, 29 October 2026
Time: Virtual workshops are scheduled to begin from 9:30 a.m. on Thursday; individual session times should be confirmed with organisers.
Location: Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, with virtual participation available.
Main physical venue: Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
Event dates: 29–31 October 2026.
Reporting date: 29 October 2026.
Festival Opens With Three Days of Literary and Cultural Activities
The Ibadan Book and Arts Festival (IBAFEST) begins its second edition on Thursday, 29 October 2026, bringing writers, artists, students, scholars and other creative practitioners together for three days of literary discussion, workshops and cultural exchange.
The festival, organised by the Sankofa Initiative for Culture and Development, is themed “The Stories We Long to Tell.” Its programme combines online activities with an in-person gathering scheduled for Saturday, 31 October, at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan.
According to the organisers, the programme is designed to create opportunities for established and emerging voices to discuss literature, identity, memory, language, artistic expression and the role stories play in shaping communities.
The opening day is dedicated primarily to virtual workshops and creative development. Friday’s programme will focus on online book conversations and panel discussions, while Saturday will bring participants together physically in Ibadan for the festival’s main activities.
The hybrid arrangement is intended to make participation possible for people who cannot travel to Ibadan, including readers, writers and cultural practitioners based elsewhere in Nigeria and abroad. The festival is free to attend, although the organisers encourage interested participants to register for the sessions they wish to join.
Why the Theme Matters
The theme, “The Stories We Long to Tell,” places storytelling at the centre of the festival’s discussions.
Stories can preserve memories, record historical experiences, communicate cultural values and give individuals and communities a way to understand their circumstances. They can also challenge established accounts of the past and create space for experiences that have received little attention.
For a country as culturally and linguistically diverse as Nigeria, literature and the arts provide important ways to document local experiences while connecting them with wider national and international conversations.
Nigeria’s communities possess different oral traditions, languages, artistic practices and historical memories. Writers, poets, filmmakers, performers and other creative professionals interpret these experiences through different forms, reaching audiences in print, on stage, on screen and through digital platforms.
The festival’s theme invites participants to consider whose experiences are represented in public storytelling, how narratives change over time and what opportunities exist for emerging voices to be heard.
The discussions are also relevant to changing methods of creating and distributing stories. Digital publishing, social media, online reading communities and new creative technologies have changed how writers reach audiences and how readers discover literary work.
By bringing these issues into one programme, IBAFEST aims to connect traditional literary practices with contemporary questions about culture and creative expression.
Thursday: Virtual Workshops and Creative Development
The festival’s programme opens on Thursday, 29 October, with virtual workshops in screenwriting, poetry and performance.
The sessions are intended to offer practical opportunities for participants to develop their skills and learn from practitioners working in different creative disciplines.
Screenwriter and director Stephen Okonkwo is scheduled to lead the screenwriting workshop. Poet Romeo Oriogun will facilitate the poetry workshop, while writer, performer and curator Wana Udobang will lead the performance session.
The programme gives aspiring writers and performers an opportunity to explore the craft behind creative work rather than simply attend discussions about finished books or performances.
For screenwriters, workshops can provide a setting to examine story structure, character development, dialogue and the process of translating ideas into scripts. Poetry sessions can help participants consider language, rhythm, imagery and the relationship between personal experience and literary form. Performance workshops can explore how voice, movement and presentation influence the way stories reach an audience.
The precise format and duration of each session should be confirmed through the festival’s official registration channels.
Opportunities for emerging practitioners
Creative development programmes can be particularly valuable for people who are beginning their careers and have limited access to formal training or professional networks.
A workshop creates an opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners, ask questions and engage with the practical decisions involved in producing creative work.
It can also help participants identify areas for further development, build confidence and connect with others working in related fields.
However, the long-term value of such activities depends partly on what happens after the sessions end. Continued mentorship, opportunities to publish or present work, and access to professional networks can help translate short-term learning into sustained progress.
For IBAFEST, the opening workshops form part of a wider effort to bring education and creative exchange into the festival experience.
Friday: Book Conversations Explore Digital Literature, Music and Belonging
On Friday, 30 October, the festival will continue with virtual book chats and panel conversations featuring writers and cultural practitioners.
The programme includes discussions on Nigerian digital literature, the relationship between hip-hop and expression, African storytelling, migration and belonging, and women’s contributions to Afrobeat.
One scheduled session, titled “Nigerian Digital Literature: Perspectives on Facebook and Substack in the 21st Century,” will feature Eriata Oribhabor and Ernest Jesuyemi, with Joel Oyeleke serving as moderator.
The discussion is expected to address questions surrounding the ways digital platforms are influencing literary production and circulation. Social platforms have created additional channels for writers to share poems, essays, serialised stories and commentary without depending exclusively on traditional publishing routes.
These platforms can help authors build audiences directly, but they also raise questions about discoverability, the durability of online work, compensation and the challenges of maintaining quality in fast-moving digital spaces.
Hip-hop as a form of expression
Another scheduled conversation, “The Stories in Our Sound: Nigerian Hip-Hop and the Politics of Expression,” will feature Tosin Gbogi and Godwin Tom, moderated by Joba Ojelabi.
Music is an important part of contemporary cultural storytelling. Lyrics can describe everyday experiences, examine social conditions, express personal identity and communicate perspectives that may not receive the same attention through conventional literary forms.
Hip-hop, in particular, offers artists a way to combine language, rhythm, performance and commentary. Nigerian performers work within a broad musical landscape shaped by local languages, regional identities, global influences and changing audience tastes.
The scheduled discussion provides a space to examine how music carries meaning and how artists negotiate the relationship between creative expression and the societies in which they work.
African places and stories
The Friday programme will also include “Landmarks and City Scapes in African Storytelling,” featuring Jide Badmus and Pelu Awofeso.
Places often play an important role in literature and other art forms. Cities, neighbourhoods, roads, landscapes and familiar public spaces can become more than settings; they can help communicate memories, social relationships and changes in community life.
Stories set in particular locations can preserve details about how people live, work, travel and relate to their surroundings. They can also influence how readers understand places they have never visited.
Conversations about place and storytelling can therefore connect literary creativity with questions of identity, urban development, tourism and cultural memory.
Finding home across borders
Another scheduled session, “Stories We Long to Tell: Finding Home Across Borders,” will feature S’ueddie Agema and Ndubuisi Martins.
The subject touches on experiences of migration, displacement, belonging and the relationship between people and their places of origin.
For writers and artists whose lives cross national or cultural boundaries, home can be understood in several ways: as a physical place, a language, a family connection, a memory or a community maintained across distance.
Literature can explore the emotional and practical consequences of these experiences while creating opportunities for readers to understand lives different from their own.
Women and the making of Afrobeat
The festival’s programme also includes “The Stories Behind the Sound: Women and the Making of Afrobeat,” featuring Dotun Oyebade and Shola Olorunyomi.
The session places attention on women’s contributions to a musical tradition whose public histories have often focused on prominent performers and headline-making figures.
Music is produced through a network of creative and professional roles, including performance, composition, management, production, promotion, research and cultural preservation. Examining these contributions can broaden understanding of how musical movements develop and how their histories are recorded.
The festival will also feature a book chat with Beautiful Nubia, the Nigerian singer-songwriter known for work that draws on storytelling and social observation.
The Friday programme is expected to extend the festival’s reach beyond its physical location by allowing online audiences to join discussions without travelling to Ibadan.
Saturday: Main Festival at the University of Ibadan
The festival’s main physical programme is scheduled for Saturday, 31 October, at Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
Activities are scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m., according to the festival announcement. The programme will include a keynote address, a keynote conversation, panel discussions, author-student engagement, writing workshops and other creative activities.
Poet, essayist, translator and lawyer Tade Ipadeola is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
A keynote conversation will feature Dr Tunde Adegbola, filmmaker Tunde Kelani and Onimisi Olanike, moderated by Michael Olatunbosun.
The gathering is also expected to include discussions involving established writers and emerging practitioners, alongside activities designed to engage students and members of the wider public.
The programme will bring the festival’s virtual discussions into a shared physical space, giving attendees opportunities to listen, ask questions and engage directly with participants.
Connecting Established Writers With New Voices
One of the festival’s stated priorities is to create opportunities for emerging writers and artists to participate alongside more established practitioners.
The Saturday programme includes an author-student session and a panel titled “The Next Voice in the Room: Emerging Stories and the Quest to Be Seen and Heard.”
Tobiloba Afolayan, Nnamdi Anyadu and Aremo Gemini are listed for the session, with Isaiah Adepoju serving as moderator.
Such conversations can help students and early-career writers understand the practical realities of creative work, including the challenges of developing a distinctive voice, finding readers and sustaining a writing practice.
They can also make literary events more accessible to young people who may be encountering professional authors or cultural practitioners for the first time.
A writing workshop led by Godson Osarenren is also scheduled for Saturday. The workshop is intended to give participants an opportunity to engage directly with writing as a craft.
The inclusion of student-focused programming reflects the importance of developing readers and writers together. A strong literary environment depends not only on producing books but also on encouraging people to read, discuss, interpret and support creative work.
Schools and universities can play a role in that process, while festivals provide an additional setting for informal learning and interaction across generations.
Digital Storytelling and the Changing Creative Landscape
Digital storytelling is another subject expected to feature during the festival.
Digital platforms have changed the ways Nigerian stories are produced, distributed and discussed. Writers can publish online, filmmakers can share short-form work, and cultural commentators can reach audiences through newsletters, podcasts, video platforms and social media.
These developments have lowered some barriers to publication and audience-building. They have also increased competition for attention and raised questions about how creative professionals can earn a sustainable income from their work.
The festival’s discussions on digital literature and content creation are therefore relevant to the wider creative economy.
For emerging practitioners, the ability to tell a compelling story remains important, but it may need to be combined with an understanding of digital audiences, platform formats and the practical demands of sustaining a creative career.
At the same time, technological change does not remove the importance of language, research, cultural understanding and editorial judgement. New tools can expand the ways stories are told, but they do not automatically guarantee accuracy, originality or meaningful engagement.
By placing digital storytelling alongside poetry, books, music and performance, IBAFEST creates an opportunity to examine how older and newer forms of creative expression can coexist.
Ibadan’s Literary and Cultural Significance
Holding the festival in Ibadan connects the programme with a city that has an important place in Nigeria’s academic, publishing and literary life.
The presence of the University of Ibadan provides a setting for conversations involving students, scholars, writers and members of the public. The city also offers a meeting point for cultural practitioners working across different disciplines.
IBAFEST’s organisers describe the festival as a platform for literary and artistic exchange that brings together established and emerging voices.
The ambition is to strengthen opportunities for people to share work, exchange ideas and engage with culture beyond the boundaries of individual institutions or professional networks.
The festival’s hybrid structure also reflects the possibility of connecting a locally rooted event with participants who live elsewhere. Online sessions can broaden access, while the physical gathering provides opportunities for direct interaction.
For Ibadan, cultural events of this kind can contribute to the city’s profile as a place for literature, creative activity and public discussion. Their wider impact, however, depends on sustained participation, the quality of the programme and the extent to which opportunities continue after the event.
Culture, Education and the Creative Economy
Literature and the arts have cultural value, but they also depend on practical systems that allow creative work to reach audiences.
Writers, publishers, booksellers, designers, event organisers, performers, filmmakers and educators all contribute to the wider creative environment. Festivals can bring some of these participants together and create opportunities for networking, collaboration and audience development.
Book fairs and creative marketplaces can help readers discover books and creative products. Workshops can support skills development, while panel discussions can introduce new audiences to subjects and practitioners they may not otherwise encounter.
The festival’s programme is relevant to these broader concerns because it combines literary discussion with workshops, performance and opportunities for creative exchange.
Nevertheless, a festival alone cannot resolve the structural challenges faced by writers and other creative professionals. Access to publishing, affordable books, funding, distribution, reliable income and long-term training remains important to the sustainability of the sector.
The practical significance of IBAFEST will therefore depend not only on attendance but also on whether it helps build relationships and opportunities that continue beyond the three-day programme.
A Hybrid Format for Wider Participation
The 2026 edition combines online activities on Thursday and Friday with the main in-person programme on Saturday.
This arrangement allows the festival to accommodate different schedules and locations. Participants who cannot travel to Ibadan may still be able to attend selected workshops or conversations online, subject to the organisers’ registration and access arrangements.
Hybrid events also allow organisers to connect speakers and audiences across geographical boundaries. That can be especially useful for literary conversations involving participants based in different parts of Nigeria or outside the country.
However, online participation depends on reliable connectivity, clear session information and accessible registration arrangements. Prospective attendees should consult the official festival channels for the latest information about individual sessions and access links.
The organisers have announced free admission and encouraged registration. Participants should confirm any specific requirements before attending a virtual session or travelling to the physical venue.
What Happens Next?
The festival continues on Friday, 30 October, with virtual book chats and panel discussions before concluding with its main physical programme on Saturday, 31 October, at the University of Ibadan.
The Saturday gathering is expected to feature the keynote address, conversations with writers and cultural practitioners, student engagement, creative workshops and other activities.
After the festival, its broader significance will be measured by the opportunities it creates for literary exchange, emerging practitioners and wider public engagement with Nigerian and African stories.
For readers and aspiring writers, the programme offers a chance to encounter different forms of storytelling and hear from people working across literature, music, performance and digital media.
For cultural practitioners, it provides a setting to discuss the relationship between creative work, community identity and changing audiences.
For students, it offers a potential connection between classroom learning and the wider literary world.
Festival Details at a Glance
Event: Ibadan Book and Arts Festival 2026
Theme: The Stories We Long to Tell
Dates: Thursday, 29 October, to Saturday, 31 October 2026
Thursday programme: Virtual creative workshops, scheduled from 9:30 a.m.
Friday programme: Virtual book chats and panel conversations, scheduled from 10:00 a.m.
Saturday programme: Main physical festival, scheduled from 9:00 a.m.
Main venue: Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Format: Hybrid, with virtual and in-person activities
Admission: Free; registration is encouraged
Organiser: Sankofa Initiative for Culture and Development
Prospective participants can consult the official festival website at https://ibadanfestival.org/ for programme details and registration information.
As IBAFEST 2026 opens, its central question is not only which stories are being told, but also whose voices have the opportunity to tell them. Over three days, the festival will bring together literature, performance and cultural discussion in an effort to give those stories a wider audience.
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