SFAL 2026 Brings Africa's Leading Writers To Sharjah For Cultural Dialogue

The Sharjah Book Authority has confirmed the guest list for the second Sharjah Festival of African Literature, SFAL 2026, which takes place from 14 to 18 January at University City of Sharjah. The event highlights African literature and arts, and encourages cultural exchange between African countries and the Arab world.

The festival programme combines daily panel discussions, curated book sessions and book signings. Sessions look at African storytelling traditions, past and present. Themes include oral storytelling, links between literature and music, dance and the natural environment, new literary voices, illustration, visual narratives and the role of African cities in shaping stories.

This year’s line-up features British poet, writer and playwright Lemn Sissay, who has Ethiopian heritage and is widely recognised as a major spoken word and narrative voice. Sissay has appeared at venues including the US Library of Congress, the National Theatre of Ethiopia and the London Palladium, and received the Hay Festival Medal for Poetry in 2024.

Sissay has served as the official poet of the London Olympics and as Chancellor of the University of Manchester. Sissay is also a Sunday Times bestselling author. Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, author of the Tambudzai Trilogy, will join the festival, with one novel from the trilogy shortlisted for the Booker Prize and several awards acknowledging work on freedom of expression.

The festival invites Tanzanian writer Nahida Esmail, known for children’s and young adult books that have won several African literary prizes. Tanzanian writer and cultural activist Richard Mabala will also attend, recognised for educational texts and young adult fiction written in both English and Kiswahili, expanding access to literature for younger readers.

Rwandan writer Scholastique Mukasonga will participate with the acclaimed novel Our Lady of the Nile, considered one of the key African novels of recent decades. Nigerian author Sefi Atta will take part as well, bringing a portfolio that includes novels, short story collections, plays and books for children, reflecting different strands of Nigerian storytelling.

Other guests include Zimbabwean writer and academic Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, who won the Best International Fiction Book Award at the Sharjah International Book Fair Awards 2025. Nigerian writer and linguist Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún will join as a specialist in literary translation and advocacy for African languages within contemporary African literature.

The list of guests from East Africa includes Ugandan writer and filmmaker Dilman Dila. Ugandan author Beatrice Lamwaka, President of PEN Uganda and board member of PEN International, will also attend. Leading Ugandan novelist Goretti Kyomuhendo, who founded several initiatives that support African writers, further strengthens the regional representation.

The Sharjah Festival of African Literature is part of a wider Sharjah Book Authority strategy that supports cross-border cultural dialogue and a larger international presence for African literature. The festival also reinforces Sharjah’s position as a global meeting point for literary and intellectual exchange, aligned with a vision of cultural diversity and durable links between societies.

With inputs from WAM