Held in Nairobi’s public libraries, Nairobi Litfest endeavours to imagine these spaces not just as archives of knowledge but as forums for the nurturing of literary community across generations.
By Frank Njugi
Literary festivals are the rare soirees where the introverted soul of a writer momentarily steps into the spotlight, tastes the thrill of extroversion and brushes against the electric pulse of the ‘other side’ of human character. Perhaps this is why the yearly literary festival circuit in Nairobi offers moments of anticipation, an almost sacred pause in routine, especially for young writers like myself, who long for that convergence of solitude and communion— where those words I whisper in private can suddenly echo in public, and my act of writing feels momentarily witnessed.
Coming off the first literary festival of the calendar year in April, NYrobi Book Fest–the second soiree in Nairobi’s literary calendar arrived in the form of the Nairobi LitFest, held between 26th and 29th June 2025. Where NYrobi had stirred the season’s early embers, Nairobi LitFest fanned them into fuller flame, offering yet another space for stories, reflection, and that rare extroversion writers crave.
Nairobi LitFest has, since its inception in 2021, steadily evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated cultural gatherings—a meeting point for storytellers, artistes, curious minds, and most of all, writers. Held in Nairobi’s public libraries, Nairobi Litfest endeavours to imagine these spaces not just as archives of knowledge but as living, breathing forums for the nurturing of literary community across generations.
This year’s edition of Nairobi LitFest, themed Exploring Alternative Knowledge Systems, called for a reawakening of thought and a bold reimagining of the world as we know it. As explained by the organisers, at a time when dominant narratives are really failing us, the festival invited participants to engage in dialogue that questioned disrupted, harmful ideologies that currently exist and offered new pathways beyond the exhaustion of the 24-hour news cycle. There were rich conversations and curated experiences from writers, artistes, and thinkers from across disciplines, including literature, music, visual arts, and poetry, who came together to uncover wisdom.
The first day of the festival, 26th June, opened with a brief vibrant opening ceremony—a teaser of the conversations, creativity, and critical reflection that would unfold over the days to come. This opening ceremony was only an usher to a second day, 27th June, which was dedicated to knowledge consumption, with a series of dynamic masterclasses held across two public libraries: Eastlands Makadara Library and Kaloleni Library.
At Makadara, the day saw a compelling session led by Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba, the duo behind It’s a Continent podcast and winners of the 2024 Independent Podcast of the Year. Drawing from their own creative journey, they shared insights on how to stay fresh behind the microphone and build lasting resonance in the world of audio storytelling.
The lineup continued with a hands-on photojournalism masterclass by Luis Tato, Chief Photographer and Photo Coordinator for East Africa and the Indian Ocean at Agence France-Presse. Kenyan poet and filmmaker Ngwatilo Mawiyoo led Life as a Poem—an intimate exploration of how to re-language personal experience through poetry, drawing from reservoirs of joy, pain, and longing to create work that is both vulnerable and powerful.
The day also featured a workshop by Ukombozi Library, a Kenyan archive of progressive media, focused on equipping educators and creatives with digital tools for transformative learning and storytelling.
At Kaloleni Library, the day also came alive for younger audiences. Master storyteller, Orpah Agunda, transported children into imaginative realms with tales that sparked wonder. This was followed by an interactive reading session with authors, Venna Odhiambo and Velia Vidal, who shared insights on their original works for children and young adults. Adding to the creative energy, writer, zine-maker, and educator, Ras Mengesha, led a lesson in word and image assembly, a zine-making workshop with hands-on experimentation.
The third day of Nairobi LitFest, 28th June, marked the beginning of this year’s much-anticipated panel sessions. Among the standout ones was a one-on-one conversation between the moderator, Frankline Sunday, and Ugandan author, Goretti Kyomuhendo, who discussed her latest novel, Promises. The book shines a stark light on the lives of immigrants and the ingenuity with which people navigate the cruel edges of legal systems.
In another riveting session, Ayisha Osori sat down with James Murua to unpack her memoir Love Does Not Win Elections, an unflinching account of her 2015 bid for a seat in Nigeria’s House of Representatives under the People’s Democratic Party.
For aspiring authors, a vibrant panel moderated by Otieno Owino featured three emerging Kenyan voices: Dennis Mugaa, Sandra Nekh, and Joan Thatiah, who shared personal stories of navigating the path to publication.
Mugaa, who won acclaim after taking the 2022 Black Warrior Review Fiction Contest, spoke alongside Nekh, a filmmaker and lecturer with a growing catalogue of self-published novels, and Thatiah, a lawyer and creator of the widely read Confessions of Nairobi series.
The day also had a political urgency with a timely discussion moderated by Wanjeri Gakuru, titled One Year On: Lessons from the Gen-Z Revolution. The panel brought together Christine Mungai, News Editor at The Continent and former Curator at Baraza Media Lab; Keith Ang’ana, editor and co-founder of the youth collective, Qwani; and Faith Odhiambo, current President of the Law Society of Kenya.
Together, they explored why the momentum from the June-July Kenyan protests hadn’t solidified into a lasting political movement, reflecting on both the fire of that historic moment and the sobering aftermath.
The final day of Nairobi LitFest, 29th June, unfolded with more conversations, performances, and reflections. There was a special live edition of A Palace for the People, the podcast hosted by Book Bunk co-founders Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange. The session traced the evolution of protest in Kenya through the lens of collective memory. Engaging and interactive, the recording also invited audience members to respond to the prompt, “Where were you on 25th June last year?”, a vital day in Kenyan history.
In a session moderated by Ciku Kimeria, creatives Eric Wainaina, Neddy Amoga, and Mutua Matheka offered a window into the stories they’re telling through music, film, and photography. Wainaina, through the NBO Musical Theatre Initiative, is crafting a brown-black love story that blends Asian-Kenyan and African-Kenyan sounds.
Amoga’s Cinema in Nature project breathes new life into Kenya’s resistance history through immersive forest screenings, while Matheka’s FRGMNTS reimagines Nairobi’s skyline with sound and vision to evoke forgotten fragments of the city’s identity.
In another important conversation moderated by Francis Mutegi, Prof. Kithaka wa Mberia, and Jane Obuchi spotlighted the necessity of publishing in indigenous languages. Prof. Kithaka, a Kiswahili poet and dramatist, and Obuchi, a writer and linguist working in Ekegusii, challenged English language dominance and urged for literary spaces that reflect Kenya’s linguistic plurality.
Poetry took center stage in a captivating panel moderated by Abigail Arunga, where Momtaza Mehri, Michelle Angwenyi, and Willie Oeba unpacked the themes, silences, and provocations in their work. From Mehri’s Bad Diaspora Poems, winner of the 2023 Forward Prize, to Oeba’s politically charged spoken word and Angwenyi’s introspective lyricism, the conversation was a meditation on meaning-making and the poet’s role in these turbulent times.
Dennis Mugaa, in a solo session moderated by Muthoni Muiruri, delved into his debut short story collection, Half Portraits Under Water. He explored how his loosely linked stories interweave themes of love, grief, and the quiet intimacy of everyday life, offering a voice to moments that often go unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba hosted a lively exchange with Nigerian journalist and author Dipo Faloyin. Reflecting on his book, Africa Is Not a Country, Faloyin dissected the simplistic portrayals of the continent in global media and called for deeper, more diverse African narratives to take up space in global discourse. This session was supported by the Ford Foundation through Malunga: Network for Global Justice, in line with the festival’s pan-African and justice-oriented spirit.
As the sun set later in the evening, the festival closed on a high note with a DJ set that turned the space into a dance floor, maybe an invitation to let the insights shared settle into the body and carry their rhythm out into the world.
Africa stands at a point where its people’s most suppressed ways of understanding the world are often those that resist or challenge dominant systems, such as the rationalism fueling fascism in East Africa or the restrictive capitalist values in West Africa. Literature, as one of society’s clearest mirrors, can be a powerful means to push back.
With awareness of this, the 2025 Nairobi Bookfest exemplified literature’s role as both a mirror and a catalyst for social critique. Through critical conversations, the event affirmed the capacity of literary discourse to inspire collective hope. In this way, the festival not only celebrated the extroversion of its writers and artistes as it has always done, but this time it also positioned literature as a vital site for negotiating and reimagining the broader socio-political realities shaping contemporary African life.
Frank Njugi is an Award-winning Kenyan Writer, Culture journalist and Critic who has written on the East African and African culture scene for platforms such as Debunk Media, Republic Journal, Sinema Focus, Culture Africa, Drummr Africa, The Elephant, Wakilisha Africa, The Moveee, Africa in Dialogue, Afrocritik and others. He tweets as @franknjugi.