Wole Soyinka, Elechi Amadi, Femi Osofisan’s books up for discussion at 22nd LABAF

The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) has announced that the 22nd edition of the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) would hold between November 9 and 15.

Toyin Akinosho, CORA’s secretary general, broke the news in a statement made available to TheCable Lifestyle on Sunday.

According to him, the theme for this year’s edition of the annual event is “A State of Flux: Literacy in a period of Languor.”

Akinosho revealed that this year’s edition will feature 12 books which reflect the selected theme for the occasion.

These include ‘Kolera Kolej’ by Femi Osofisan, ‘A Wall of Plagues’ by Andre Brinks, ‘The Great Ponds’ by Elechi Amadi and ‘Opera Wọnyosi’ by Wole Soyinka.

Others are ‘The Old Is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born’ by Nancy Fraser, ‘Ẹniitàn: Daughter of Destiny’ by Aramide Ṣegun, ‘In the Ruins of Neoliberalism’ by Wendy Brown and ‘The Man Who Sold America’ by Joy-Ann Reid.

“A State of Flux is inspired by the deep anxieties in the global political economy; the easy and ready dismissal of ideas that seemed commonsense a while ago,” the statement read.

“The epic struggle of the notion of the nation state. The rise and rise of a dangerous streak of divisive political ideology that seems to surpass all humanistic values and the lack of cohesive response by governments, everywhere, to the increasing decapitation of the environment by climate change.”

The statement added that the festival will feature 12 panels to discuss the selected texts alongside others during the forthcoming event.

It called on those who have read any of the selected books to participate in the event.

It said “LABAF was created in 1999 to whip up enthusiasm and support for the book as a cultural item,” adding that “today it has become a carnivalesque feast of ideas, visual and performed arts, which attract thousands of people across generational divides.”