Books

The African Book Festival Berlin returns from 29 to 31 May 2026 with a fresh, audience-driven concept that reinforces its reputation as one of Europe’s most dynamic platforms for African and diaspora literature. Under the theme “Welcome to the Club,” this year’s edition shifts the spotlight towards readers themselves, inviting them not only to attend but to actively shape the …

Berlin-based independent bookshop Buchhandlung InterKontinental has once again been awarded the coveted Deutscher Buchhandlungspreis for 2025, marking its third recognition (previously honoured in 2021 and 2023). The award, announced on Tuesday (10 January), underscores InterKontinental’s continuing influence in Germany’s cultural and literary landscape. Located in the heart of Berlin’s district of Friedrichshain, InterKontinental has built a unique reputation as Germany’s …

African Book Festival will once again turn Berlin into a vibrant meeting point for literary voices from the African continent and its diaspora. Under the theme “In Other Worlds,” the festival will take place from 18–20 July, offering three days of readings, panels, performances and powerful discussions on African storytelling in all its genres and dimensions. Organised by InterKontinental, the …

Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o passed away on 28 May. A towering figure in African literature, his works critically address colonial oppression and the unjust postcolonial order. In this tribute, Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, literary scholar and former lecturer at the University of Bayreuth, honours the life and legacy of this influential writer. A former member of the European Parliament, Dr …

A bold new chapter begins for Berlin’s literary and cultural scene this Friday, 16 May, with the opening of One More Chapter, the city’s latest BuchBar – a creative fusion of bookstore, bar, restaurant and cultural space – in the heart of Friedrichshain. Founded by Stefanie Hirsbrunner, Karla Kutzner and Venice Trommer, the trio behind the acclaimed African Book Festival Berlin, …

  The Forum der Kulturen Stuttgart e.V., in collaboration with four (post-)migrant organizations from Stuttgart, has published a multilingual children’s book titled “Stuttgart, das sind wir! Eine Reise um die Welt” (Stuttgart, that is us! A Journey Around the World). The book will be officially launched at a public event on 21 February at the Stuttgart City Library. The book …

On Saturday, 26 October 2024, Apostle Raphael Oyeijeh, a respected Nigerian clergyman and renowned teacher of the Word of God, will launch his highly anticipated book, ‘Audacity of Dominion’. The event, which takes take place in Agbor, Delta State, marks an important milestone in the Apostle’s ministry, offering readers a powerful message on faith, divine authority and mankind’s true identity …

On Tuesday, 26 November, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin will host a presentation of Henning Melber’s latest book, The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism, Revisionism. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German Empire was one of the largest colonial powers, yet its colonial legacy remains under explored in public consciousness. For decades, narratives of German …

In her new short autobiographic book, Cologne-based law graduate and creative author Nesa narrates her story, of an African girl who was born in Germany but raised in the continent and now lives in the country of her birth. This is the 8th episode of Nesa’s chronicles, in which she shares how she found her way back to the work …

In her new short autobiographic book, Cologne-based legal scholar and creative author Nesa narrates her story, of an African girl who was born in Germany but raised in the continent and now lives in the country of her birth. This is the 7th episode of Nesa’s chronicles, in which she shares her pregnancy story and the lessons she learned along …

In her new short autobiographic book, Cologne-based legal scholar and creative author Nesa narrates her story, of an African girl who was born in Germany but raised in the continent and now lives in the country of her birth. This is the 6th episode of Nesa’s chronicles, in which she goes personal, recounting her journey to finding her dream man …

In her new short autobiographic book, Cologne-based legal scholar and creative author Nesa narrates her story, of an African girl who was born in Germany but raised in the continent and now lives in the country of her birth. This is the 5th episode of Nesa’s chronicles, in which Nesa narrates her experience while she worked at the Embassy of …

Hi there, I’m Nesa. If you haven’t read the previous episodes, I advise you to stop reading. Go back, read them, and then come back. Don’t worry; I’ll be right here waiting for you. And if you’ve already read the previous episodes, buckle up, and let’s continue our journey. I would not call myself a DADA BEE (a Ghanaian colloquialism). …

Wole Soyinka, the literary giant and human rights icon, turns 90 on 13 July. Considering the gamut of his creative work as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, memoirist and wordsmith, the emeritus professor of comparative literature could arguably be described as Africa’s greatest man of letters ever. In 1986, Soyinka became the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in …

For a continent whose merits have been overshadowed by wars, natural disasters, poverty and human displacements, the Nobel Prize for literature awarded to the Nigerian Wole Soyinka in 1986 must have come as a shock to those audiences with little knowledge of the presence of a wealth of contemporary African literatures. This shock could only be the result of years …

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka turns 90 on 13 July. Femi Awoniyi and Michael Nnaji look at the life of the literary giant as a political and rights activist in the service of humanity. Born Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka on 13 July 1934 in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria, this truly great man of many parts is often wrongly reduced to the Nobel Prize …

Hi again, Nesa here. Welcome back to the second episode of my journey. Today, we dive into my experience relocating from Ghana to Germany, a journey that redefined my path and taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, starting afresh, and seizing opportunities. To be honest, I never imagined I would settle in Germany. Born here but raised in Ghana, I …

The Africa Centre London has rolled out an elaborate programme to celebrate the life of Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel laureate in Literature (1986), to mark the Nigerian writer’s 90th birthday. From Friday, July 19 to Saturday, July 27, The Africa Centre will come alive with exhibitions, roundtables, film screenings, live music performances and poetry recitals to celebrate the …

In her new short autobiographic book, Cologne-based legal scholar and creative author Nesa narrates her story, of an African girl who was born in Germany but raised in the continent and now lives in the country of her birth. This is the first episode of Nesa’s chronicle Hi, I’m Nesa, and over the next ten weeks, I’ll be taking you …

Dr Priscillia M. Manjoh, a Berlin-based author, has been bestowed with “The Mount Cameroon Literary Grand Prize 2023”. The Cameroon-born novelist impressed the jury with her novel Angri leading to her being chosen among the 40 nominees for the prestigious award. The national prize, under the patronage of the Association of Cameroonian Poets and Writers, was launched in 2022 and …