CANEX WKND 2026 to spotlight African writing, journalism, sustainability
* CANEX Prize for Publishing to be awarded
By Godwin Okondo
WRITERS, publishers and culture practitioners are expected to explore the relationship between journalism, literature, digital technology and sustainable development at the 2026 Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND), scheduled to hold from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.
Among the literary activities lined up for the four-day gathering are a session featuring journalists and authors Chude Jideonwu and Anote Ajeluorou, as well as a panel discussion organised by Selina Publications to launch the second volume of its anthology, Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the SDGs – Vol, 2. Volume 1 of the anthology was unveiled last May at the Lagos International Book Fair.
The session featuring Jideonwu and Ajeluorou, themed ‘When Journalists Write’, is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. It will offer both authors an opportunity to discuss their respective books and reflect on the relationship between journalism and creative writing.
Jideonwu will present his book, How Depression Saved My Life, which recently won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Creative Non-Fiction Prize at its 45th convention last weekend in Abuja, while Ajeluorou will discuss Moonbeam, the anthology of short stories by 15 culture journalists that he edited. The programme will feature readings from the two books, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with participants. A book-signing session will also take place after the discussion at either Readers’ Corner or Nigerian Literature Pavilion (NLP) stand. Both books are published by Narative Landscape Press (NLP), Lagos.
The second literary engagement, organised by Selina Publications, will take place on Sunday, November 8, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at CANEX Readers’ Corner. Titled ‘Our Digital Lives and Indigenous Pathways’, the panel discussion will mark the launch of Volume Two of the anthology, “Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the SDGs”, edited by Olatoun Gabi-Williams.
Featured authors scheduled to participate in the discussion are Malik Afegbua, Taiwo Egunjobi, Pelumi Olatunji and Abulazeez Shomade. They are expected to explore issues raised by the anthology and examine how African experiences, knowledge systems and contemporary realities can contribute to conversations about sustainability.
The two programmes form part of the literary activities at CANEX WKND 2026, an annual platform organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to connect Africa’s creative and cultural industries with investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs and international markets.
This year’s edition, themed “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World”, will bring together participants from Africa, the Caribbean and the wider diaspora for conversations, exhibitions, business engagements and cultural showcases spanning literature, film, music, fashion, visual arts, gastronomy and sports.
The gathering is expected to provide opportunities for African writers, publishers and other creative professionals to showcase their works, establish partnerships and explore new markets for their intellectual property.
The CANEX Book Fair, one of the event’s literary attractions, will provide a platform for publishers, booksellers and literary organisations to exhibit their publications, engage readers and explore opportunities within the African publishing industry.
Olatoun Gabi-Williams
Also, CANEX Prize for Publishing will be awarded at the event. Five book have been shortlisted for its 2026 edition that features works by Akin Adesokan, Naa-Adei Kotey, Chitra Nagarajan, Bento Baloi and Lee Johnson. Selected by a three-member jury, chaired by Nigerian author and academic Professor Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, alongside South African literary scholar Professor Polo Moji and Kenyan poet and broadcaster Khainga O’Okwemba, the shortlisted books are:
South Side by Akin Adesokan (Parresia Publishers), Sumanguru: Sorcerer King of Sosso by Naa-Adei Kotey (Masobe Books), The World Was in Our Hands: Voices from the Boko Haram Conflict, written and edited by Chitra Nagarajan (Cassava Republic Press),
Beneath the Scar by Bento Baloi, translated by Sandra Tamele, Editora Trinta Zero Nove and
Mixing Memory & Desire by Lee Johnson (Ian Randle Publishers). The inaugural prize in 2024 was won by Female Fear Factory by Pumla Dineo Gqola and published by Cassava Republic Press, and in 2025 it was won by In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose, published by Karavan press.
The five titles were selected from a 13-book longlist announced on October 6. The longlist included books from publishers across Africa and the Caribbean, and they are:
The CANEX Prize for Publishing recognises publishers for their work in producing and distributing books, with judging criteria covering editorial quality, book design and production, innovation, distribution and cultural impact. The prize is part of the Creative Africa Nexus programme of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The winner will receive $20,000, while each of the other four shortlisted publishers will receive $2,000. The 2026 prize has expanded its eligibility to publishers from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, thus extending its reach Africans outside the continent.
All literary sessions will take place at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts during the four-day event.
