The Aké Arts and Book Festival has announced a call for entries for the 2024 edition of their annual journal. The 12th edition of the festival’s theme is “Finding Freedom”.
Submission Guidelines:
- Entries must be original and unpublished
- All entries must be submitted via email to editor@akefestival.org
- Entries should be sent as attachments with ‘AR24 Submission’ in the subject line
- Attach a bio of no more than 70 words
- Only one submission per person
Entrants may submit:
- Poetry: a maximum of 3 poems
- Fiction/Reflections: a maximum of 800 words
- Artwork: a maximum of 2 works in high-res .jpeg
Now in its eleventh year, Aké Arts & Book Festival has brought over 1000 writers, poets, musicians, actors, filmmakers, artists and thinkers together to celebrate creativity, network and share stories. This year, the festival is back in Lagos with a fantastic programme of events that includes panel discussions, book chats, poetry and music. Join them for four days of cultural immersion!
Aké Arts Book Festival is organised by Book Buzz Foundation, a non-governmental organisation founded in 2012. The Board of Trustees includes Lola Shoneyin, Ms Mojisola Adeniran, and Dr Soji Adelaja. The main aims of the Book Buzz Foundation are to promote literacy, especially amongst children of school-going age; to develop reading tools and resources to support schools in the creation of reading spaces; and to organise events and festivals that promote literacy, reading and culture.
Deadline for entries is 12 September 2024.
Successful creatives will receive 2 copies of Aké Review and a token fee.
Best of luck to those answering the call!
Click here to read more.
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
