Nairobi Litfest
Kenya's flagship celebration of African voices and Pan-African storytelling, Nairobi Litfest is a Hay Festival partner event that has rapidly become the most important literary gathering in East Africa. The festival pulls in novelists, poets, journalists, and translators across the continent and the diaspora, with conversations centred on contemporary African identity, climate justice, language politics, and the post-colonial novel. Visitors can sit in on craft masterclasses, attend evening readings under canvas, and meet emerging publishers from Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town, and Kampala.
Event Details
Kenya's flagship celebration of African voices and Pan-African storytelling, Nairobi Litfest is a Hay Festival partner event that has rapidly become the most important literary gathering in East Africa. The festival pulls in novelists, poets, journalists, and translators across the continent and the diaspora, with conversations centred on contemporary African identity, climate justice, language politics, and the post-colonial novel. Visitors can sit in on craft masterclasses, attend evening readings under canvas, and meet emerging publishers from Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town, and Kampala.
Save the Date
May 8 to May 10, 2026
Location:
Nairobi, Kenya
Remaining Slots: Limited
Highlights
- Pan-African author panels
- Swahili and Anglophone literature dialogues
- Translation and publishing workshops
- Emerging writers showcase