The literary program for Mboka Festival 2018 has been unveiled.
We here at JamesMurua.com have been following the proceedings from Western African country Gambia with the Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport. The festival is organised by Camp Africa, Global Hands and SABLE Publications with support from partners and funders including, Gambia Tourism Board and National Council for Arts and Culture , ADEPT (UK), Arts Council England, Numbi Arts (UK), Harlem Book Fair, the Organisation of Women Writers in Africa (USA) and Yaram Arts.
The festival started off last year with Ngugi wa Thiong’o being the headliner selected for debut edition. The headliner for the festival this year as we mentioned in December is Linton Kwesi Johnson the UK-based Jamaican-British dub poet acknowledged at the first reggae poet.
The festival organisers have unveiled the plans for this year and literary line up this year includes guests like Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Natalia Molebatsi, Nadia Maddy , Louisa Egbunike, Kadija Sesay, and The Clouds Poetry Collective. The first two will be conducting workshops with Parkes running one on fiction writing and Natalia Molebatsi on poetry. The full list of the events are as follows;
Thursday January 11
January Poetry Session with The Clouds Poetry Collective
Simon Pomrey
Venue: The Clouds venue in Bakau
Time: tbc SATURDAY
Saturday January 13
Event: Fiction workshop with Nii Parkes
Venue: African Poetry Library
Time: tbc (10.30 or 11 am)
Event: Nadia Maddy, Louisa Egbunike and Aisha Ibrahim on African women and Literature
Venue: Senegambia Hotel
Time: Afternoon.
Sunday January 14
Event: Poetry Workshop with Natalia Molebatsi
Venue: African Poetry Library
Time: tbc (10.30 or 11am)
Monday January 15
Panel Discussion: Publishing, print, digital and blogging with Nadia Maddy, Nii Parkes, Kadija Sesay, James Murua
Venue: Senegambia Hotel
Time: 5-6 pm
GOVI (School for the visually impaired)
Olusola Oyeleye
Tuesday January 16
Aisha Ibrahim at Girl Guides
Schools going to Senegambia Bookfair (between 12-4)
Thursday 18 January
Event: Dorothea Smartt
Venue: Tanji Museum
Time: 11am
Middle School at Jabanjelleh
Anni Domingo
Afternoon
Middle School at Mahai
Louisa Egbunike
Afternoon
The Clouds Poetry Collective
Ousola Oyeleye
Evening (Clouds venue space in Bakau)
Friday January 19
Ella – Sambuyang Pre- School
Nzinga – Sambuyang Pre- School
Morning Panel
Discussion on social movements / youth involvement in The Gambia and other parts of the world..
Led by Alieu Bah (Immortal X ) Visiting Panellists : Ella Golt
Venue: Abraxus (near Traffic Lights)
Time: 5-7pm
Apart from these events there are events commemorating the lives of South African poet and struggle icon Keorapetse Kgositsile and Buchi Emecheta.
We here will be covering the events from the festival on the ground and we look forward to share our experiences from Gambia. If you are in Gambia and see us please say hey; a friendly face will be appreciated.
Enjoy, The Gambia.
Thanks Banks. I have been.