29th June Events - Nairobi Litfest

Explore the programme - 29th June

Children's Corner

Open all Day

Children's Corner

Open all Day

The Children's Corner is back! This time the space also features arts and crafts activities available across the day. Don’t miss out on this vibrant, engaging hub designed to inspire the little ones to explore the joy of reading. We have a variety of diverse activities on offer including storytelling sessions, interactive workshops, board games, book nooks and more. The Children's Corner is a place where every child can embark on a literary adventure, discover new worlds and let their creativity soar. Join us for a day full of fun, learning, and unforgettable memories!

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Green Bunk Stage - Sunday, 29th June

Home to topical, thought-provoking conversations — and completely free to attend! This stage brings together local and international voices to explore bold ideas in literature, culture, and society.

A Palace for The People: Where were you on 25th June 2024

Panellists: Wanjiru Koinange and Angela Wachuka

12:00pm - 1:00pm

A Palace for The People: Where were you on 25th June 2024

Panellists: Wanjiru Koinange and Angela Wachuka

Book Bunk founders Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange host a special live edition of their podcast, A Palace for the People, an exploration of culture and history through shared memory. This interactive session traces the evolution of protest in Kenya as a powerful form of self-expression, resistance, and change, while reflecting on the role of public libraries as both witnesses to and participants in civic action.

As part of the recording, the hosts will collect public responses to the prompt: “Where were you on 25th June last year?”, capturing personal reflections on a day that marked a pivotal moment in Kenya’s recent protest history.

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Worth fighting for

Moderator: Dr. Mamka Anyona

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Worth fighting for

Moderator: Dr. Mamka Anyona

Panellists: Senator Crystal Asige

Discussing disability advocacy and how to create real change with Senator Crystal Asige who championed the recently assented Persons with Disabilities Bill 2025. She is an inclusive mobility expert, accessibility auditor, and award-winning musician. The 2024 TIME 100 Next honoree was nominated to the 4th Senate in the 13th Parliament of Kenya to represent persons with disabilities and Special Interest Groups. Senator Asige has been recognised as a “top performing senator” for two consecutive years with several Bills to her name.

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Mother tongue on the page

Moderator: Francis Mutegi

2:00pm - 3:00pm

Mother tongue on the page

Moderator: Francis Mutegi

Panellists: Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia, Jane Obuchi

Spotlight on literary publishing challenging English hegemony with Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia and Jane Obuchi. Prof. Kithaka is a prolific Kiswahili poet and dramatist writer who teaches Linguistics and Languages at the University of Nairobi. Jane Obuchi is a writer, researcher, and teacher who has published a novel, a collection of children’s short stories in Ekegusii and a dictionary of Ekegusii phrasal verbs.

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For the people, by the people

Moderator: Ciku Kimeria

3:00pm - 4:00pm

For the people, by the people

Moderator: Ciku Kimeria

Panellists: Eric Wainaina, Neddy Amoga, Mutua Matheka

Hear from creatives telling nuanced stories about Kenyan life through their artist endeavours. Eric Wainaina from the NBO Musical Theatre Initiative has written a brown-black love story filled with original Asian-Kenyan and African-Kenyan sounds. Neddy Amoga shares how Cinema in Nature blends storytelling, history, and forest trails, transporting audiences into the tension, camaraderie, and courage of the Mau Mau movement. Mutua Matheka is an architecture, travel and conceptual photographer and a Ford Foundation (Africa - No Filter) Fellow whose recent project, FRGMNTS presented Nairobi's skyline through immersive images and sounds.

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Balm for a world on fire

Moderator: Abigail Arunga

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Balm for a world on fire

Moderator: Abigail Arunga

Panellists: Momtaza Mehri, Michelle Angwenyi, Willie Oebaa

Celebrated poets Momtaza Mehri, Michelle Angwenyi and Willie Oeba explore meaning-making through the written word and recurring motifs in their craft. Momtaza Mehri is a British-Somali poet, essayist, editor, and researcher. Her poetry collection, Bad Diaspora Poems is the winner of an Eric Gregory Award and the 2023 Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Michelle Angwenyi was shortlisted for the 2017 Short Story Day Africa Prize and the 2018 Brunel Africa International Poetry Prize, and is the author of Gray Latitudes, selected for the New Generation African Poets Chapbook series (Akashic Books, 2020). Willie Oeba is a Spoken Word artist and 2024-2025 Ford Global Fellow who champions social justice, economic equity, and democracy.

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Retrospective on a career: In Koli Jean Bofane

Moderator: Nteranya A. Sanginga

5:00pm - 6:00pm

Retrospective on a career: In Koli Jean Bofane

Moderator: Nteranya A. Sanginga

Panellist: In Koli Jean Bofane

Born in 1954 in Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire)., In Koli Jean Bofane is an award-winning writer and exhibit curator whose work has been praised for exhibiting a cynical sense of humour and rebellious wit. His first work, “Pourquoi le lion n’est plus le roi des animaux” (Why the lion is no longer king of the animals) was published in 1996.

Bofane’s work has been awarded the Prix Jean Muno (2008), the Prix littéraire de la SCAM (2009) and the Grand Prix littéraire de l’Afrique noire (2009). His novel, Congo Inc. Le Testament de Bismarck (2015) paints a complex picture of the contemporary Congo in the grip of globalization. In 2020, he curated "Mabele eleki lola! (The earth, more beautiful than paradise) at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium

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Defying the long shadow of empire

Moderator: Garnette Oluoch Olunya

6:00pm - 7:00pm

Defying the long shadow of empire

Moderator: Garnette Oluoch Olunya

Panellists: Panashe Chigumadzi, Joe Sacco

In seeking new answers to the issues that plague us, we look to leading intellectuals whose work decenters Western powers and brings to the fore their moral blindspots. Award-winning Zimbabwean writer and historian, Dr. Panashe Chigumadzi and Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist, Joe Sacco gather to explore what it takes to challenge and transcend colonial hegemony.

Supported by the Ford Foundation-Malunga: Network for Global Justice

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Closing party: DJ set

Dance into the night as we close the festival on a musical note.

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Book Talk Stage - Sunday, 29th June

A new addition to the festival! This cosy stage is dedicated to intimate sessions with authors, offering a closer look at their books, processes, and inspirations.

Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia | 'Kifo Kisimani'

Moderator: Ngartia Bryan

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia | 'Kifo Kisimani'

Moderator: Ngartia Bryan

Panellists: Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia

Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia talks all things “Kifo Kisimani” (Death at the Well), a play about the resilience of everyday people in the face of tyranny. The text that once served as a secondary school setbook in the mid-2000s and is set for a possible stage revival.

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Dipo Faloyin | 'Africa Is Not a Country'

Moderator: Chinny Ukata & Astrid Madimba

1:15pm - 2:15pm

Dipo Faloyin | 'Africa Is Not a Country'

Moderator: Chinny Ukata & Astrid Madimba

Panellist: Dipo Faloyin

A chat with Dipo Faloyin, a Nigerian journalist and author of non-fiction novel, “Africa Is Not a Country” on how his book seeks to reverse the simplistic and stereotypical depictions of the continent.

Supported by the Ford Foundation-Malunga: Network for Global Justice

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Ayanna Lloyd Banwo | 'When We Were Birds'

Moderator: Lilly Bekele-Piper

2:30pm - 3:30pm

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo | 'When We Were Birds'

Moderator: Lilly Bekele-Piper

Panellists: Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo discusses her award-winning debut novel, “When We Were Birds”, a mythic love story set in Trinidad and Tobago.

Supported by the British Council’s UK/Kenya Season 2025.

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Dennis Mugaa | 'Half Portraits Under Water'

Moderator: Muthoni Muiruri

3:45pm - 4:45pm

Dennis Mugaa | 'Half Portraits Under Water'

Moderator: Muthoni Muiruri

Panellist: Dennis Mugaa

Join Dennis Mugaa as he discusses his debut short story collection, “Half Portraits Under Water” which features ten loosely interlinked stories that explore love, loss, and the interconnected nature of human experiences.

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Ikulu Stage - Sunday, 29th June

Big ideas, small setting. Ikulu is a ticketed stage (only KES 300), hosting powerful, in-depth conversations. All proceeds go towards the restoration of Nairobi’s public libraries.

Experiments in pedagogies

Moderator: Augustin Trapenard

2:30pm - 3:30pm

Experiments in pedagogies

Moderator: Augustin Trapenard

Panellists: Ntone Edjabe, Billy Kahora

A conversation with publishers Ntone Edjabe and Billy Kahora who have adopted subversive approaches to the development of creative work across music, film, teaching and publishing.

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Reversing cultural erosion

Moderator: Mohammed Amin Abdishukri

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Reversing cultural erosion

Moderator: Mohammed Amin Abdishukri

Panellist: Prof. Rinaldo Walcott

Prof. Rinaldo Walcott, whose research focuses on the cultural expression of Black life will explore the importance of recovery of indigenous identities and traditional knowledge within marginalised communities to harness social, economic and cultural power.

With the support of the Ford Foundation-Malunga: Network for Global Justice

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Tactile and analogue

Moderator: Ras Mengesha

1:15pm - 2:15pm

Tactile and analogue

Moderator: Ras Mengesha

Panellist: James Rugami

An interview with James Rugami affectionately known as the “Real Vinyl Guru” and a mainstay in Kenya’s musical landscape. Mr. Rugami has run a record store in Nairobi since 1989.

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Hearth as source

Moderator: Mukami Kowino

3:45pm - 4:45pm

Hearth as source

Moderator: Mukami Kowino

Panellist: Leila Slimani (MAR)

French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani discusses her ongoing trilogy which includes the novels, “In the Country of Others” and “Watch Us Dance”. Set in Morocco, the books tell the complex, multigenerational story of the Belhaj family; facets of which are borrowed from the author’s real-life family members.

With programming support from The French Embassy in Kenya & Alliance Française de Nairobi.

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