Chux Ohai

The book, that single and priceless cultural item, finally berths in Kaduna as members of the creative community prepare to converge on the city for the first-ever Kaduna Book and Art Festival.

Sudanese writer, Leila Aboulela; American specialist in African languages and actress, Carmen McCain; and Hollywood movie producer, Andrew Walker, as well as Zainab Alkali, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Richard Ali, Toni Kan and Efe Azino, among many others, are expected to attend the inaugural edition of the event between July 5 and 8, 2017 at the Gusau Institute, Kaduna.

The festival is being organised by the Kaduna State Government in partnership with the Book Buzz Foundation and the Gusau Institute in fulfilment of its pledge to promote literacy and to restore authentic creative values in the state.

As part of the activities scheduled for the three-day event, there will be panel discussions on critical issues affecting creative production in northern Nigeria, interactive sessions with authors, film screenings, an art exhibition with four Nigerian artists, magical poetry performance and a food tasting contest.

Also, pupils of secondary schools in the state are expected to participate in a poetry contest. For the duration of the festival, there will be a bookstore on-site, which will offer a wide range of books to guests at a special festival discount rate.

Creative Director of KABAFEST, Lola Soneyin, describes the festival as a unique event aimed at celebrating the rich cultural heritage of northern Nigeria, harnessing the passion of the local population for creative production and bringing some of the country’s finest contemporary writers, artists, filmmakers, poets and thinkers to Kaduna.

“We aim to create new and exciting opportunities for social and cultural interaction, as well as to celebrate and promote creativity in the region. Also, our goal is to foster tolerance and understanding through dialogue around books, culture, the arts and society,” she says.

Shoneyin also notes that with authors, such as Toni Kan, Edify Yakusak, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Odafe Atogun, Maryam Bobi, Richard Ali and Leila Aboulela, taking their audiences on an intimate journey through their personal literary landscapes, the interactive segment of the festival promises to be engaging.

The anticipated panel discussions at the event, she adds, will focus on a wide range of topical issues. For example, while Rev. Father Matthew Kukah, Ibrahim Kano and Dr. Usman Bugaje lead a conversation on religious tolerance, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, Aisha Umar and Saudatu Mahdi will discuss with Kadaria Ahmed on the need to harness the potentials of women in northern Nigeria. There will be other discussions on art and activism, modern Hausa literature and the contributions of Muslim women writers in today’s world.

Kenneth Gyang’s award-winning movie, Blood and Henna, andIshaya Bako’s short feature film entitled Henna will be screened during the festival, just as renowned visual artist, Jerry Buhari, will be showcasing his works, alongside Kaltume Gana, Mariam Oyawoye and Nura Garba, in an exhibition tagged, Visions of 4!

The organisers of the festival have already decided that about 150 students of tertiary institutions of higher education in Kaduna State will receive a N10,000 book grant each to spend on books from the KABAFEST bookstore. The book grants will be offered on a first come, first served basis to students who apply on www.kabafest.org.

In addition to the foregoing, Aboulela will host a special two-day writing workshop for women. The purpose is to encourage women writers and give them a chance to hone their skills.