Annual Festival · Ibadan, Nigeria

Ibadan Book &
Arts Festival 2026

The Stories We Long to Tell. Three days of workshops, virtual conversations and a full public programme at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. 29–31 October 2026.

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Literary Magazine · laipomag.org

Laipo Magazine

Named for Layipo — Bower's Tower, the hilltop landmark from which all of Ibadan's rooftops are visible. Essays, encounters, criticism, new writing, visual culture and dispatches from across Africa and the diaspora.

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Sankofa Initiative for Culture and Development

Culture.
Creativity.
Education.

A Nigerian nonprofit using culture, creativity, education and innovation to build more inclusive and sustainable communities. Rooted in Ibadan. Open to Africa.

About Sankofa
Our Purpose

What We Do

Promoting literacy and culture

Sankofa ICD creates platforms for books, literature and cultural practice to reach wider audiences. Through IbaFest and Laipo Magazine, we bring readers, writers and communities together around shared stories.

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Organising literary festivals

We organise the Ibadan Book and Arts Festival (IbaFest) — an annual hybrid festival. In 2025, over 2,000 people participated across two days including delegations from nine secondary schools. The 2026 edition runs 29–31 October.

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Developing writers and creatives

We run workshops, masterclasses and capacity-building programmes for writers, poets, journalists, filmmakers and other creative practitioners — with particular attention to emerging voices, young people and women.

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2015 Founded in Ibadan
2,000+ IbaFest 2025 Participants
9 Secondary Schools Engaged

Upcoming Events

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29 Oct 2026
IbaFest 2026 · Day One

Workshops & Masterclasses

Fiction (Abubakar Adam Ibrahim) · Poetry (Romeo Oriogun) · Performance Poetry (Wana Udobang) · Songwriting (Beautiful Nubia) · Screenwriting (Stephen Okonkwo)

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30 Oct 2026
IbaFest 2026 · Day Two

Virtual Conversations

A full day of online panel sessions connecting audiences across Nigeria, Africa and the diaspora around the theme: The Stories We Long to Tell.

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31 Oct 2026
IbaFest 2026 · Day Three

Stories Come Home · ICC, UI

Keynote by Tade Ipadeola. Keynote conversation: Dr Tunde Adegbola. Panel sessions, book fair and creative marketplace. Open to all.

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2026 Open
Laipo Magazine · Open Submissions

Submit to Laipo Magazine

Essays, encounters, reviews, new fiction, poetry, visual culture and dispatches. Original, unpublished work from writers across Africa and the diaspora.

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Our Initiatives & Projects

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IbaFest
Annual Festival

Ibadan Book & Arts Festival

The inaugural 2025 edition brought together nine virtual panel sessions on Day One and a physical day at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan on Day Two. Professor Dan Izevbaye delivered the keynote address. Prof Remi Raji-Oyelade declared: "Ibadan will never sink." Over 2,000 participants across both days, including delegations from nine secondary schools. 2026 edition: 29–31 October. Theme: The Stories We Long to Tell.

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Laipo
Literary Magazine

Laipo Magazine

Named for Layipo — Bower's Tower, the 19th-century hilltop landmark from which all of Ibadan's red-roofed cityscape is visible. Laipo publishes essays, encounters, reviews, new writing, visual culture and dispatches from across Africa and the diaspora. Online at laipomag.org year-round; annual print edition alongside IbaFest. Submissions open to writers and cultural practitioners across Africa and the diaspora.

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Schools
Education Outreach

Secondary School Engagement

At IbaFest 2025, delegations from nine secondary schools attended the physical day at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan — many students sitting in conversation with published, award-winning authors for the first time. In 2026, we expand the school engagement programme across IbaFest's three-day format, connecting young Ibadan readers to Nigeria's literary and creative community.

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Video Archives

Sessions and conversations from IbaFest 2025 — Ibadan Book and Arts Festival

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Literary Ibadan: Mbari, the Arts and the Spirit of Cultural Continuity

Dr Akin Tella and Dr Funmi Gaji on the Mbari movement of 1961, Onireke Road and Ibadan's creative origins.

The City as Muse: How Ibadan Inspires Artistic Expression

Ayo Adams, Chiazor Ndidi-Enenmor and Nze Sylva Ifedigbo on cities as characters and creative spaces.

Writing Nations, Healing Wounds: Memory in African Storytelling

Ayesha Haruna Attah and Obinna Udenwe on African spirituality and postcolonial memory.

IbaFest 2025 Keynote: Professor Dan Izevbaye

The keynote address from the inaugural Ibadan Book and Arts Festival at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.