This Saturday, Lagos will make history as it hosts Afro Romcon, Nigeria’s inaugural romance convention, celebrating African love stories in literature and film.
Slated for March 15, 2025, the event promises a vibrant lineup of bestselling authors, Nollywood screenwriters, and industry trailblazers under the theme “Romance Through the African Lens.”
Afro Romcon will kick off at 11:00 AM, featuring a packed schedule of book chats, panel discussions, and poetry readings that run until 5:00 PM. Headliners include Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi, author of The Marriage Class and No Perfect Love, Tomilola Coco Adeyemo, behind A Very Gidi Christmas, and Zainab Imam Uche, writer of Love, Lagos & Other Complications.
Screenwriters Nosa Isibor (The Boy Before Me) and Ufuoma Bakporhe (The Beauty of Broken Things) will join Modupe Daramola of Noisy Streets and storyteller Jesimiel Williams to unpack the genre’s cultural and commercial heft. The Nigerian Indie Romance Authors (NIRA), represented by Aminnat Sanni-Kamal (Rebound) and Mobolaji Olanrewaju (Finding Solace), will also spotlight indie publishing’s rise.
In her words, Praise Vandeh, Afro Romcon’s media contact says:
“This isn’t just a convention—it’s a celebration of African voices in romance, we’re creating a space where love stories, whether on the page or screen, are valued and amplified.” The event’s program includes standout sessions like “Crafting Swoonworthy Romantic Comedies for the Screen” at 1:30 PM and “Men, Love & Other Mushy Things” at 3:30 PM, blending entertainment with sharp insights into storytelling trends”
Organizers have tapped the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit), a platform dedicated to African narratives, to help amplify the conversation noting the platform’s influence in shaping perceptions of African literature.
Tickets are still up for grabs at Afro Romcon.
As Lagos braces for this first-of-its-kind gathering, Afro Romcon, to be hosted by Happiness Ogwamhenlu is poised to set a new benchmark for romance in African storytelling—proving love, in all its forms, deserves the catbird seat!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
