Sharjah: The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has announced the guest list for the second edition of the Sharjah Festival of African Literature (SFAL 2026), scheduled to take place from 14 to 18 January. The festival aims to bring together leading African writers and creatives, highlighting the variety of African narrative traditions and fostering cultural dialogue between Africa and the Arab world.
According to Emirates News Agency, SFAL 2026 will be hosted at the University City of Sharjah and will include daily panel discussions, curated book sessions, and signings. The event will explore African literature's past and present, with a focus on oral storytelling and the relationship between literature, music, dance, and the environment. The festival will also spotlight emerging voices, illustration, visual storytelling, and the role of African cities as spaces of narrative discourse.
The guest list features prominent figures from the African literary landscape, including Lemn Sissay, a British poet, writer, and playwright of Ethiopian heritage. Sissay is renowned for his contributions to spoken word and narrative literature, having performed on major international stages such as the US Library of Congress and the London Palladium. His accolades include the Hay Festival Medal for Poetry (2024) and serving as the official poet of the London Olympics.
Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga, known for her influential Tambudzai Trilogy, will also participate. Her work has been recognized with several major international awards. The festival will feature Tanzanian writer Nahida Esmail, known for children's and young adult literature, and Tanzanian writer Richard Mabala, noted for educational literature and young adult fiction.
Rwandan writer Scholastique Mukasonga, with her novel "Our Lady of the Nile," and Nigerian author Sefi Atta, a significant narrative voice from Nigeria, will also be part of the festival. Additionally, Zimbabwean writer and scholar Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Nigerian writer and linguist K?´l¡ Tºb?`sºn, and East African writers including Ugandan writer Dilman Dila, author Beatrice Lamwaka, and novelist Goretti Kyomuhendo will participate.
The Sharjah Festival of African Literature is part of SBA's commitment to promoting cross-border cultural dialogue, expanding the global presence of African literature, and establishing Sharjah as an international platform for literary and intellectual exchange.
