International Poetry Festival focuses on African culture in digital age

The three-day inaugural Abuja International Poetry Festival took place last week in various venues across the Nigerian capital.

It was a cultural melting pot for poets, dreamers, intellectuals, and adventurers.

Under the theme “Afro Futurism and Digital Culture”, it looked at what it means to be an African poet in today’s world.

Organised by Nasara Creative in partnership with others, it aimed to showcase how “magic” happens where art and technology intersect.

“We are just trying to bridge African knowledge and experience, African culture, and the future. So this is Africa, where do you want to go and how can we use AI to make that journey better,” said festival founder, Bash Amuneni.

Festival director Orewa Olujimi described “Afro futurism” as questioning where African art is heading.

“What is the future of our art, what is poetry going to look like in a couple of years from now? In the new face and in the light of technology and digital advancement,” she said.

The sessions took place both virtually and in-person, featuring established and emerging poets from across the world.

These included readings, master classes, a traditional poetry concert, and ended with a Poetry Slam.

Poet Chi Martins Azubuike said she found the talk about art and digital culture interesting because it looked at how one can “embrace our language” in the light of technology.

Soonest Nathaniel, also a poet, described digital technology as a blessing saying it offers many more opportunities, particularly when it comes to publishing.

“So there are so many publishing avenues right now that the digital space avails us. Ordinarily people wouldn’t have been able to publish a lot more from Africa, from the continent,” he said.

The festival was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Africa poetry.