LABAF 27.0 holds November 2025 with ‘Change: Imagining Alternatives’ as theme

By Mercy Timilehin Kelani

AS the curtain fell on the 26th edition of Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF) in the plenary room of the week-long festival on Sunday, November 17, 2024, the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, promoter of the festival announced the date and theme for the 27th edition. This is in keeping with the tradition of the festival since it started in 1999 in the cusp of Nigeria’s transition from military rule to civilian governance. The date and theme for next year’s festival is always unveiled at the closing glee – usually a poetry concert of the outgoing edition.

CORA Secretary General Toyin Akinosho, in making the announcement on Sunday, stated that LABAF 27.0 will hold November 10 – 16, 2025 and have as theme ‘Change: Imagining Alternatives.’

Before the full room of audience which included Chairman CORA Board of Trustees, Chief Kayode Aderinokun, CORA Volunteers Corps (CVC) and other guests, Akinosho revealed why the theme was chosen. He reminded that the past few editions had been critical of the systems that run affairs of Nigeria and the continent, thus the next edition would be making vital contributions to national discourse by offering a platform for people to explore possible alternatives to what currently operates.

According to Akinosho, ‘Breakout: Hope Is a Stubborn Thing” as theme for LABAF 2024, 6.0 examined the grievances and deterioration in major sectors in Nigeria, “aside from the issues of ethnicity and bad governance, hope becomes a coping mechanism and survival technique for everyone.” Akinosho also revisited the themes of LABAF 24.0 and 25.0, relating how they addressed the worrisome developments in the social and political fabrics of Nigeria, and by extension, Africa.

Explaining the theme for 2025 LABAF further, Akinosho stated, “While the just concluded festival is on Hope as a stubborn thing, we’re wondering whether the way the world is going, the eruptions that are happening all over the place and the state of things do not make people to begin to think about the idea of change. The idea of change is not just “change” as it is but “imagining alternatives”, whether at a personal level, at the national level, or at the global level. For instance, whether the present government will be thinking in terms of how to change its own narrative of governance or whether the Democratic Party in America could begin to respond to aspirations or imagining alternatives.”

The CORA Secretary General added that “The books that speak to imagination about alternatives will be major books of the festival.”

As the audience celebrated the unveiling of LABAF 27.0, and its even more controversial theme with loud screams, lavish photo sessions and generous congratulations, Chairman of CORA’s Board of Trustees, Chief Aderinokun was ushered onto stage by the anchor, Samuel Oriakhi Osaze, LABAF’s associate producer, to formally bring the festival to an end. Aderinokun, a father-figure to CORA, and staunch supporter of LABAF, appreciated all participants at the festival, the CORA Board and most especially the volunteers who he referred to as “my young friends.”

Speaking in the plenary room on the first floor of Kongi’s Harvest Art Gallery, Aderinokun reiterated that CORA is passionate about the future of the country and the progress of the continent, adding, “that is why we gather intellectuals in diverse fields of human endeavours, creatives and other well-meaning Nigerians to contribute ideas on how to effect change and impact positively on the life of our beloved country and the welfare of her people.”

CORA Volunteer Corps PHOTO: SM Productions

Paying special tributes to the 27-member CORA Volunteer Corps (CVC), Aderinokun stated, “We are unofficially handing over to the younger generation. We are so impressed by what you did in this past exercise and I hope that you keep it up.”

Jubilation erupted amongst the CVC and the audience which drew the curtain fell on LABAF 26.0. LABAF 2025’s theme was also unveiled via a giant screen on the Main-Stage of the festival venue, Freedom Park, which hosted the last act of the week-long 73-events festival, Freedom Vibes, staged by CORA partner-organisation, Unchained Vibes Africa (UVA).

Programme chair of CORA and Director of LABAF, Jahman Anikulapo, was called onto the big, shimmering stage, and urged the full house of mostly youth guests to “lock down the date in your calendar, and don’t make the error of putting your own culture project in same week – as it happened this year.”

Anikulapo also asked the full house of enthusiastic guests to spend time ruminating on the theme, and be free to suggest “ideas about books, visual arts, theatrical, film and other contents that could lead to the full exploration of the theme ‘CHANGE: Imagining alternatives’.”

Started in 1999, the Festival, though a literary feast of ideas and life in outlook, has over the years, metamorphosed to being a Campaign for LITERACY devoted to heightening interest of the populace to be active participants in the knowledge economy that currently rules transactions in global political, economic and cultural affairs. The Festival is focused on three thematic elements: EDUCATION. ENLIGHTENMENT. EMPOWERMENT.

Specifically for young people, the festival also stages Green Festival – devoted to students in Junior and Senior Secondary schools and CORA Youth Creative Club — which yearly congregate youths and young adults from different parts of the country for mentoring and training in their natural talents and acquired skills

The festival’s main programme iterations include book readings and reviews, conversation around ideas contained in the books of the festival – relevant to the theme of the festival, book and visual arts exhibitions, workshops and mentoring sessions for young people, performances in Poetry, Drama, Music, Dance, etc and Arthouse celebrations of eminent artistes and culture workers who have registered their names and footprints in the cause of nation building. The idea is to set them up as role models for both old and young people – to inspire hope, motivate them to aspire to greater accomplishments in their chosen careers or vocation.

The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) is a not-for-profit advocate for the arts, culture and creative sector of the economy. We believe that we can stimulate the increase of the Human Capital resources of the country through emphasis on metal capacitation via programming ideas that spotlight: Education. Enlightenment. Empowerment. To realise this objective, we rely solely on the support of eminent institution, organisations and missions such as the diplomatic office of countries that have invested in, and produced great intellectuals and philosophers such as yours.

Kelani is in LABAF’s Communications department