The Hargeysa International Book Fair 2022, now in its fifteenth year, will be hosted in the Somaliland capital from July 23-28, 2022. The festival’s country partner is Senegal and the theme is “Solidarity.”
Since 2008, the Redsea Cultural Foundation has hosted the Hargeysa International Book Fair in Somaliland. Starting out with minimal numbers, the festival has grown to be the biggest literary extravaganza in the Horn of Africa and one of the biggest on the African continent. It has hosted some of the leading writers, journalists, academics, publishers, artists, journalists, and other professionals from dozens of nations.
In 2022, the festival returns even bigger and better to its now traditional home of the Hargeysa Cultural Centre in Hargeisa. Like in previous years, those who attend will be treated to panels, readings, launches, performances of theatre and poetry and loads more over the five days it runs. The theme this year is “Solidarity” which couldn’t be timelier in the messed-up timeline we are currently living in.
One of the festival’s unique offerings is the “country focus” where those who attend get the opportunity to meet writers, poets, scholars, and other personalities from the featured country. Some of the countries that have been given this honour in the past have been Ethiopia, Egypt, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. For 2022, the country focus is West African nation Senegal which is known as one of the leading literary powerhouses in that part of the continent.
As the dates for the festival come closer, expect announcements on the featured artists which we will share as soon as they become known. For those who can, please plan on making your way to this event in July. As a past guest, I promise that you will be charmed and educated by the events from that part of the continent.
Here is the vital information as we know it for the Hargeysa International Book Fair 2022
Dates: July 23- 28, 2022
Guest country: Sénégal
Theme: Solidarity
Venue: Hargeysa Cultural Centre, Hargeisa, Somaliland