About Words Across Waters: Afro Lit Fest
Immerse yourself in a day of dynamic storytelling, inspiring conversations and creative exploration. This vibrant new festival brings together leading writers, thinkers and performers for a programme of thought-provoking panel discussions, hands-on workshops, live performances and screenings.
Begin the day with the Inaugural Lecture-Workshop led by multidisciplinary thinker Kelechi Okafor, blending critical dialogue with creative exploration. Families can enjoy Misé Gli Loo, an interactive storytelling session with Uncle George, weaving together Ghanaian dance, movement and traditional tales. In Language as Ancestry & Power, chaired by Ife Thompson, writers Liv Little, Yomi Ṣode, and others, explore how Patois, Pidgin, Kwéyòl and other diasporic languages reclaim heritage, resist erasure and build bridges across cultures.
Emerging writers will have a unique chance to pitch their manuscripts live to a panel of leading industry figures, while How We Remember: Loss, Ritual and Language, with Ben Okri, Adeche Atelier and Sakli, considers communal mourning, ancestral memory and the rituals that connect the living with the dead. Poet JJ Bola leads a workshop on writing as protest, inviting participants to turn anger, grief and hope into words of resistance and healing. The festival also marks 25 years of the Caine Prize for African Writing, with conversations and surprise readings from past winners.
The day culminates in the headline event, presented with Numbi Arts, an immersive celebration of Somali literature featuring acclaimed poets Warsan Shire and Momtaza Mehri.
Alongside the talks and performances, enjoy a lively book market.
Join us for this landmark festival of storytelling, culture and connection – a celebration of the many ways language continues to shape who we are and how we imagine the world.
Words Across Waters is brought to you by Natalie Fiawoo and Marcelle Akita in partnership with the British Library.
Your support
The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Please consider adding a donation to your basket.
Schedule for the day
11.00 – 12.30, Pigott Theatre
Inaugural Lecture Workshop with Kelechi Okafor
Expect a dynamic, hybrid session that blends thoughtful dialogue with hands-on exploration that is part lecture and part workshop. Come with curiosity, and leave with new ways of seeing, thinking, and making.
11.30 – 12.30, Brontë room
Misé Gli Loo 'Listen to a Story' – Storytelling for children.
Join us as we journey through traditional Ghanaian dance, movement and storytelling with Uncle George.
13.00 – 14.15, Pigott Theatre
Language as Ancestry & Power
Language carries memory, identity and imagination. Join us as we honour and celebrate Indigenous and diasporic languages such as Patois, Pidgin, Kwéyòl, Black British English and Queer language, showing how they have grown into vibrant, expressive forms that connect us to ancestry, place and community. Featuring Ife Thompson, Liv Little & Yomi Sode
14.30 – 15.30, Elliot Room
Pitch your manuscript
Got a story to tell? Eight writers will be selected to pitch their work live to a panel of industry experts Ellah Wakatama, Vimbai Shire, Mireille Harper and Nancy Adimora. You’ll have 3 minutes, so come prepared. In partnership with The Caine Prize for African Writing.
15.00 – 16.30, Pigott Theatre
How We Remember: Loss, Ritual and Language
How does language carry memory? What rituals resist erasure? How do the dead remain present in the lives of the living? And what does it mean to mourn communally in a world that often demands individual stoicism?
Join Ben Okri, Adeche Atelier & Sakli for a conversation that challenges dominant narratives around death and remembrance, and makes space for alternative, ancestral ways of knowing.
16.30 – 17.30, Bronte Room
Writing as protest with JJ Bola
In a world weighed down by injustice, conflict, and uncertainty, writing can be a powerful act of resistance. Writer and poet JJ Bola, invites participants to channel their anger, grief, frustration, and hope into words.
17.00 – 18.30, Pigott Theatre
Celebrating 25 Years of The Caine Prize
Honouring African literature past, present, and future via conversation, readings and video with past Caine Prize winners.
In partnership with The Caine Prize for African writing.
19.00 – 20.45, Pigott Theatre
Celebrating Somali Literature with Warsan Shire, Momtaza Mehri and Kinsi Abdulleh
Step into the captivating world of Somali literature and culture in our headline event, where we shine a spotlight on its rich heritage through an intimate in-conversation and a vibrant live performance. More details to be revealed soon. In collaboration with Numbi Arts
Venue and bar opening time
This is an in-person only event in the British Library Knowledge Centre.
The Knowledge Centre and bar open from 10.00.
Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk
Concessions
There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, Young Persons (16–25s), and visitors on Universal/Pension Credit and free entry for carers.
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