The 2026 edition of the Ibadan Book and Arts Festival (IBAFEST) will open on Sunday, October 25, with a book conversation featuring poets Su’eddie Vershima Agema and Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, whose latest collections explore different dimensions of the human experience.

The opening event, scheduled for 2 p.m. at RovingHeights Bookstore, Second Floor, Prime Mall, 33 Awolowo Avenue, Old Bodija, Ibadan, will bring together readers, writers and literary enthusiasts for an afternoon of poetry, conversation and literary exchange.

Agema is the author of I Stumble Inside Me Looking for Sunlight, while Ekwuazi’s new collection is titled Fragments Salvaged from the Deluge. The book chat will formally launch this year’s festival, which is themed The Stories We Long to Tell.

The festival programme will continue on Thursday, October 29, with virtual writing workshops featuring Romeo Oriogun, Wana Udobang and Stephen Okonkwo. On Friday, October 30, virtual book conversations will bring together 21 writers based in Nigeria and other parts of the world, extending the festival’s reach to a wider literary audience.

The festival will culminate in a physical gathering on Saturday, October 31, at the Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. The closing-day programme will feature a keynote address by Tade Ipadeola, winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, alongside a keynote conversation led by renowned polymath Dr Tunde Adegbola.

Leading and emerging writers will also take part in panel discussions, writing workshops and creative performances. A dedicated Schools Session will provide secondary school students with an opportunity to engage with literature and participate in the festival’s activities.

Organisers said the festival would celebrate literature, creativity and the stories that shape individual lives and communities, bringing together established and emerging voices through a programme of discussions, workshops and performances.

Interested participants can register for the opening book chat at https://tinyurl.com/ibafest-2026-opening-chat. Registration for the other IBAFEST 2026 events is available at https://bit.ly/ibafest2026.

IBAFEST is jointly organised by the Sankofa Initiative for Culture and Development and Noirledge Publishing, in collaboration with their partners.