Why I want Ake Festival to be the cultural hub of Africa – Lola Shoneyin

Poet and novelist Lola Shoneyin is the director of the Ake Arts and Book Festival, which has become a massive hit among arts and book lovers locally and internationally. She talks about plans for the 2015 edition of the festival and the staying power of her novel, ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.’ In […]

Poet and novelist Lola Shoneyin is the director of the Ake Arts and Book Festival, which has become a massive hit among arts and book lovers locally and internationally. She talks about plans for the 2015 edition of the festival and the staying power of her novel, ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.’
In three years, the Ake Arts and Book Festival has become the go-to literary event on the continent. How did you manage to accomplish this?
That’s very kind of you. I work with a fabulous team. Ake Festival staff are creative, resourceful. From the onset, I made it clear that the bar was going to be set very high. We work hard to deliver a world-class festival but we retain our sense of humour.
How did the idea of the festival occur to you or was it something you have always wanted to do?
My first book came out eighteen years ago so I have been invited to countless international festivals at which I am one of two or three Africans. I enjoy the atmosphere at these events immensely but whenever I am critical about my continent, I wish I was talking to an African audience. In creating Ake Festival, my main goal is to create a safe space where African thinkers, poets, writers, artists and filmmakers come together to have honest conversations about issues around Africa and being African. We also aim to develop, promote and celebrate creativity on the continent.
I suppose some people would ask why Abeokuta and why not Lagos or Abuja?
All my favourite festivals take place in the countryside. When people come to Ake Festival, they don’t have to contend with the distractions, the glitz and bright lights of big cities.  Apart from that, Abeokuta has a beautiful history and the people are very proud of this heritage. The name also has literary resonance, being the title of the first book in the series of memoirs written by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
Why do you think it is relevant to have this literary and arts festival? What, in your opinion, have lit-fests contributed to the growth of literature?
I think Africa is long overdue for a range of vibrant creative hubs. Given that the West only recognises a token of the incredible creative work that is coming out of the continent by way of writing, art, poetry, films and so on, it’s our responsibility to pat ourselves on the back every now and then. Sadly, language and our colonial history means that we are somewhat fragmented but, one of the joys of Ake Festival is bringing people from different parts of the continent together. A lot of networking goes on and this is evident in the collaborations that follow. A lot of African writers living outside the continent cherish the opportunity to share their work with a largely African audience. As an author, I can appreciate that it’s quite a liberating experience.
You have managed to draw sponsorship from corporate bodies and grants from donors. How critical is support from the government to the festival?
We get some support from the Ogun State Government but the bulk of our funding comes from international donors and the private sector. I was in Germany recently for the festival which takes place in the Black Forest. The organisers told me that by law, 10% of the budget at local government level must be dedicated to the Arts and culture. So everywhere you go, no matter how remote the village, there is a theatre, a centre for the arts. These not only serve to harness talent in music, dance, fashion and so on but this is a country that recognises the significance of the Arts in building nationhood, in bringing about social change, in galvanising creativity. The majority of the people repositioning Nigeria, revising the narrative of this country are from the creative industry. Yet the terrain is a hostile one for aspiring writers, artists, dancers, etc.  There is very little support from the most powerful, most influential institution of all, the state.
Indeed. And how then do you manage to convince sponsors that this literary event is worth investing in when they could easily put their money towards concerts or something else?
In Nigeria, it is hard work. And where there is any success at all, it has a lot to do with the interests and ethos of the company involved. With companies like Chevron/ NNPC who have always supported the Arts, no convincing is required because they ‘get it’. We have a hard time with other institutions because CSR has become synonymous with marketing. When it comes to culture and the Arts, money is important but so is ‘heart’. By this, I mean the institution has to have an appreciation of the long-term gains. Etisalat have supported us for three years now but what is beautiful is that they don’t just throw money at the event, they attend the festival and they support us with publicity because they understand the value of literature. I am in talks now with Air France/ KLM about four new Prizes which will bring aspiring writers, filmmakers and photographers from the continent to the festival. For a cultural producer, these relationships are very valuable.
We will look forward to that. In the first edition, guests were housed in a single hotel, which must have made logistics easier for you, but the second edition saw guests housed in several hotels. Now it seems you might be going back to the previous model. What has changed over the last one year to necessitate this shift?
Our guests enjoyed staying at the Green Legacy Resort because they could interact with ease. In 2014, there were a few broken promises so we had to work with the funds that were available to us. Because security for our foreign guests is so important, lodging them in different hotels was a logistics nightmare. This year, the Green Legacy Resort have made it clear that they want to support us and partner with us and we are very excited. They have ample accommodation and they also have fantastic facilities. This immediately cuts down the cost of ground transportation. I am really pleased with this development.
You work year-round to put the festival together. Having done this for three years now, how challenging do you find this?
We have developed a template now so each year, we are basically following a script, with improvisations and modification here and there.  And although we’ve had a baby here and a marriage there, it’s still the same team. We enjoy the process immensely. We enjoy promoting and sharing the achievements of our guests on social media, we get very excited when wonderful things happen for them. We monitor their progress and use this news to showcase the wonderful talent that will be available in Abeokuta.
Who are the headliners this year?
This year, Professor Niyi Osundare, possibly one of the most important poets of his generation will be joining us for a chat with author and editor, Kunle Ajibade. We try to bring a mix of creative individuals from different parts of the continent and different generations. We are fascinated by new writing and established authors so we also have Nnedi Okorafor (back by popular demand) EC Osondu, Imani Da Sylva, Chris Abani, Siphiwo Mahala, Tendai Huchu, the incredible Mona Eltahawy, Ekow Duker, Maaza Mengiste, Binyavanga Wainaina, Dilman Dila, Howard French, Taiye Selasi, Zukiswa Wanner. We also have a range of newcomers. The ever-growing list can be found on. We’re expecting about 80 guests and the line-up is fabulous.
What other changes have you made to the festival this year?
This year, following finger-wagging from some of our funders, we are having a formal opening ceremony on the morning of the 19 November. It will be no longer than 90 minutes and from there we’ll go straight into the business of the festival.
In five years, where do you see this festival?
I see it becoming a cultural hub, a place where African intellectuals speak frankly about things that concern Africa, a place where they debate the relationship between Africa and the rest of the world, where great ideas that will shape and develop the Arts and Culture in Africa will be birthed. I see it becoming a destination for cultural pilgrimage, a meeting point of great art and fantastic writing, a place where people come to teach but also to learn. I see it contributing in no small measure to the advancement of scholarship, particularly in the humanities, an event that belongs to everyone who wants to be part of it, and bigger than any personalities involved in the organisation. 
It has been some five years since the publication of your best-selling novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. How long do your readers have to wait for your next work?
Organising the Ake Arts and Book Festival is a labour of love so I have to do other work to contribute to the family pot. I intend to take a few months off after the festival to finish my new novel. With all my children out of primary school now, my life has a bit more structure.
Are you surprised by the impact and staying power of Baba Segi, (No pun intended). Five years after, it is still being talked about, it is still relevant to social discourse and it remains prominently in the consciousness of book lovers. Was this something you had anticipated?
When the book came out, I distinctly remember my husband saying it was going to be a slow burn, as opposed to setting off immediate fireworks. The book has done very well. We are in the process of selling the TV rights in the UK. There is constant interest in the film rights. Someone is creating the graphic novel. I am going to the UK in December to watch parts of the stage play and it’s coming to Nigeria next year for a four day run in Lagos. I’m thrilled. Things are happening at a pace that I am completely at ease with. To be honest, I am more concerned about the fact that I am not writing as much poetry as I would like.
Finally, why should people make the pilgrimage this year to Ake? What special things have you got lined up for them?
One of the most exciting things that have happened recently is that we are screening ‘The Man Who Mends Women’ at the festival. In addition, the European Parliament are interested in flying Dr. Denis Mukwege (the man on whose life the film is based) to the festival. We are also excited about the stage play and the range of topics that will be debated at the eighteen panel discussions. We have 16 incredible authors who will be at the festival for bookchats.  The first two days are devoted to school children so we do on-site events and school visits. With over 4,000 books at the festival bookstore, at excellent prices, book lovers look forward to the event. It’s a weekend of cultural immersion.