Lagos International Poetry Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lagos International Poetry Festival, also often called LIPFest, is an annual festival of poetry which takes place in Lagos, Nigeria.[1] Referred to as "an annual haven for Nigerian and international creatives, especially poets,”[2] LIPFest was founded by Efe Paul Azino, a Nigerian spoken word artist and poet, to bring together an international array of poets, writers, artists, and public intellectuals to Lagos for a week of readings and performances, panel discussions, workshops, community outreaches, and a celebration of the art of poetry in general.[3]
Azino decided to create the festival as "a platform to cater to the growing number of poets in Lagos and Nigeria at large, due to the absence of such kind of festival" so as “to create a space in Lagos, every year, where poets from across the world could come to celebrate the written and spoken words.”[2] The first edition in October 2015 was themed Borderless Words. Since its founding, it has been committed "to promoting poetry as a tool for social change and personal expression."[4]
Events and activities
Each year the festival is curated around specific themes designed to spark conversations and centre the concerns that shape our world. Activities typically include readings and performances, panel discussions on a broad range of topics, workshops, book launches, film screenings, and international cultural exchanges. Previous exchange programmes have included partnerships with the Southbank Centre, Poetry Africa, and Moniack Mhor, Scotland's National Writing Center. The festival also presents an annual poetry slam, a competitive showcase of young, talented spoken word artists and performance poets.[citation needed]
