Stories - The Measure of Life: LitFest Harare's celebration of literature with global talent

LitFest Harare International Literature Festival is set to bring the city alight with a celebration of spoken word, literature and culture, as it returns for its 11th edition.

Running under the theme "Stories: The Measure of Life," the 4-day festival will unfold at 3 venues across the capital: Nhaka Gallery, Harare City Library, and Alliance Française.

Featuring a diverse program of activities, the festival will have thought-provoking discussions, poetry slams, immersive workshops, and vibrant cultural performances that will include live music.

Nomonde Sky

This year's lineup will have returning favourites poet Nomonde Sky from South Africa and Botswana’s celebrated artist Sidos. They'll also be Dr. Lame Pusetso (Botswana), Thabang Shai (South Africa), and Tawona Sithole from the University of Glasgow. Alongside them will be a host of literary and artistic talents from Sierra Leone, Sweden, Zambia, the UK, the USA, Kenya, and Uganda.

The festival will feature two days of discussion sessions at Alliance Française, where creatives, academics, critics, and the general public will delve into the significance of storytelling in shaping identities.

There'll also be a three-day pre-festival workshop for 12 children’s literature authors, led by Alison Ziki from “Room to Read” in South Africa, which will provide invaluable insights for emerging writers.

Young creatives can look forward to a workshop at Harare City Library, focusing on various topics to help them hone their craft, as well as a skills development workshop for schools.

The highly anticipated annual LitFest Harare poetry slam will be a showcase of 20 poets vying for top honours and fantastic prizes. The festival evenings of the festival will be a cultural feast, blending music, spoken word, comedy, and theatre to showcase Zimbabwean culture and celebrate the stories of guests from around the world.

Performers will include notable artists such as Sarungano, Ulethu, Victor Kunonga, Bantu Spaceship, Daves Guzha, and Bulawayo’s very own Mgcini Nyoni, who will present his one-man show, “Shuffle.”

The success of the LitFest Harare International Literature Festival 2024 is made possible through the generous support of various partners, including the CreativeActions2 grant from the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe, funded by the European Union, the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa, the British Council, the Embassy of Switzerland, and several local businesses and organizations. 

Enjoyed reading this news report? Support Greedysouth by buying the team a cup of coffee. Your support assists in the production of such quality reports. Thank you.