The fifth edition of the Nairobi Litfest is scheduled to take place from May 8 to 10, featuring a comprehensive program designed to explore the transformative power of storytelling. This year’s festival, themed “Speculative Cartography,” aims to examine how narratives can reshape societal perspectives and map new possibilities across diverse cultures and geographies.
Since its inception in 2021, Nairobi Litfest has evolved from a traditional literary gathering into a robust cultural platform. The 2026 iteration will host over 25 sessions featuring more than 45 writers, thinkers, poets, and educators from Africa and across the globe. The event is co-presented by Book Bunk and the Hay Festival Global, with activities distributed across Nairobi’s iconic public libraries, including the McMillan Memorial, Kaloleni, and Eastlands libraries.
Book Bunk Co-Founder and Festival Co-Director Wanjiru Koinange described the event as a “labour of love” sustained by a shared belief in the power of ideas. “Nairobi Litfest is a festival built by many hands,” Koinange noted, emphasizing the importance of the community and partners who have supported the festival’s growth over the past five years.
The partnership with Hay Festival Global, which began in 2024, has significantly expanded the festival’s international reach. Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch expressed enthusiasm for the continued collaboration, highlighting the festival’s role as an international charity reaching millions through unique digital platforms and in-person forums.
The 2026 program includes a diverse array of masterclasses, panel discussions, and performances. Notable highlights include:
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- Masterclasses: Sessions on fiction, autobiography, and indie publishing led by prominent figures such as Guggenheim Fellow Lina Meruane, Dr. Nick Makoha, and Ellah Wakatama OBE, Chair of the Caine Prize for African Writing.
- Panel Discussions: Conversations on identity and social change featuring acclaimed authors like Yvonne Owuor (Kenya), Alain Mabanckou (Congo), and Safiya Sinclair (Jamaica). These panels will delve into speculative futures, ecological crises, and the intersection of technology and literature.
- Children’s Festival: A dedicated space for young learners offering storytelling, music, chess, and puppetry, with facilitators including Tunde Onakoya of Nigeria and Kenya’s Muthoni Maina.
- Film and Curation: Explorations of how creative work remaps culture across borders, featuring Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Sene Absa and Kenya’s Maia Lekow.
Co-Director Angela Wachuka emphasized the significance of hosting these urgent conversations within public libraries. She noted that the “Speculative Cartography” theme encourages participants to look beyond inherited regional restrictions and foster connections across the Global South.
The festival serves as a milestone in the ongoing efforts by Book Bunk to restore and revitalize civic spaces in Nairobi. By bringing together thinkers from different disciplines and generations, the event seeks to redraw traditional boundaries and highlight the libraries as inclusive spaces for everyone.
Detailed schedules and registration information for the three-day event are expected to be released via official festival channels in the coming weeks.
