Theme: Roots & Resilience
A Call for Reparative Justice
Curated by Abuja Literary Society & Nasara Creative
Abuja will once again become a meeting place for poets, writers, performers, artists, and cultural workers from Nigeria, across Africa, and the diaspora. Examining the histories that have shaped us, honoring the memories we carry, and creating space for where African literature is going.
• ROOTS & RESILIENCE • 22–24 OCTOBER 2026 • ABUJA, NIGERIA • TRANSCORP HILTON • KOLANUT GALLERY • SPINE & LABEL BOOKSHOP • LUNA CAFE • POETRY SLAM • POEMS APOSTLE SHOULD NOT HEAR • ROOTS & RESILIENCE • 22–24 OCTOBER 2026 • ABUJA, NIGERIA • TRANSCORP HILTON • KOLANUT GALLERY • SPINE & LABEL BOOKSHOP • LUNA CAFE • POETRY SLAM • POEMS APOSTLE SHOULD NOT HEAR • ROOTS & RESILIENCE • 22–24 OCTOBER 2026 • ABUJA, NIGERIA • TRANSCORP HILTON • KOLANUT GALLERY • SPINE & LABEL BOOKSHOP • LUNA CAFE • POETRY SLAM • POEMS APOSTLE SHOULD NOT HEAR • ROOTS & RESILIENCE • 22–24 OCTOBER 2026 • ABUJA, NIGERIA • TRANSCORP HILTON • KOLANUT GALLERY • SPINE & LABEL BOOKSHOP • LUNA CAFE • POETRY SLAM • POEMS APOSTLE SHOULD NOT HEAR
2026 Festival Headliner
2026 Festival Headliner
Umar Abubakar Sidi
Visionary Poet, Novelist & Naval Aviator
“A true navigator of physical horizons and the deepest oceans of the human spirit.”
Umar Abubakar Sidi is a visionary Nigerian poet, novelist, and naval officer whose extraordinary life bridges the precision of military aviation with the boundless territory of surrealist art. A helicopter pilot and Commander in the Nigerian Navy, Sidi holds degrees from the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, yet his soul thrives in the realms of mysticism, avant-garde philosophy, and spiritual rebellion.
He has emerged as one of Africa's most electrifying literary voices, celebrated for his acclaimed poetry collections The Poet of Dust and Like Butterflies Scattered about by Art Rascals, as well as his labyrinthine debut novel, The Incredible Dreams of Garba Dakaskus. Steeped in the rich traditions of Sufism and the defiant energy of Western surrealism, his poetry turns the page into a canvas of ecstatic chants, artistic mischief, and philosophical wonder.
The Poet of DustLike Butterflies Scattered about by Art RascalsThe Incredible Dreams of Garba Dakaskus
Festival Guests
Festival Voices & Guests
Acclaimed poets, scholars, and performers gathering for Roots & Resilience
Huda Fadlelmawla (Huda the Goddess)
Samuel Yakura
Baaji Akura
Vic’Adex (Adetimilehin Inioluwa Victor)
Aziba-Laguayari Ekio
Jahnedu Ibekwelu
Paul Liam
Pacella Chukwuma- Eke
Star Zahra
Odu Ode
Andrew Patience
Leonell Elijah Echa
Shammah Godoz
Ibrahim Babátúndé Ibrahim
Mbali Malimela
Ella Fortté
Nwuguru Chidiebere Sullivan
Oruz Kennedy
Rasaq Malik Gbolahan
S. Su'eddie Vershima Agema
James Eneojile
Emmanuel Ugbe (PsalmsnProverbs)
Jamila Abbas
Zainab Tijani Mohammed
The Spaces
Four Festival Spaces
01
Transcorp Hilton Abuja
Poetry Slam & Main Stage
- •Efe Paul Azino Poetry Slam
- •Main stage performances
- •International delegations
02
Kolanut Gallery
Cultural Dialogue, Multilingual Poetry & Grand Finale
- •Panel sessions
- •Village of Languages showcase
- •Closing concert, awards & silent disco party
03
Spine & Label Bookshop
Literary Salon & Masterclasses
- •Book readings
- •Author conversations
- •Literary workshops
04
Luna Cafe
Festival Cafe Readings & Open Mic Sessions
- •Poetry cafe readings
- •Open mic sessions
Program
Three Days of Poetry
Virtual
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Panel Session 1 — What We Inherit: Poetry, Memory & the Making of Self
Virtual
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Virtual Poetry Masterclass
Hosted by Michael Imossan & Chidebere Sullivan
Virtual
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Reading & Open Mic — Inherited Tongues: Voices from Where We Come From
Virtual
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Reading & Open Mic — After the Ruins: Poetry, Survival & the Imagination of Tomorrow
Virtual
