Qfest (Quramo Festival of Words) 2025: Day 1 Highlights
This year's theme of Quramo Publishing's annual book, art & film festival- Quramo Festival of Words (Qfest)- was " A Brave New World". Besides celebrating new voices, ideas & creativity, the central message was the reflection on the changes around us- in terms of lifestyle, working and creating- and the courage to forge and step into the new ways.
As always, Qfest was filled with several literary sessions, including the Word Slam competition, and interviews with several distinguished dignitaries. Qfest Day 1 had the following activities:
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| Fidelis Duker |
-Veteran filmmaker and founder of the Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF), Fidelis Duker, gave a master class, "Unfinished Stories: A Work in Progress". He spoke on the importance of finishing one's projects, sharing drafts and material to bring unfinished ideas to life.
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| Dele Sikuade |
- Writer, Entrepreneur & Technologist, Dele Sikuade, gave a masterclass on "Developing Engaging Characterisation & Narratives in Creative Writing.'' The attendees learnt the art of creating memorable and relatable characters and story arcs in fiction.
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| Sarah Dorgbadzi |
After a 10-minute refreshment break...
- Storyteller, cantor & director Sarah Dorgbadzi spoke on "Storytelling for Resilience: Writing The Future We Want". It was on the dying art of oral communal storytelling and using the power of oral storytelling to foster personal and communal resilience for a better world. Dr Dorgbadzi led a communal storytelling session among the attendees, with each person adding to the story being told.
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| Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ |
- The next Masterclass was by Kenyan author, poet, and academic, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, son of the late Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, the first published East African author. Professor Ngũgĩ's topic was "Writing From Here To Here", the art of gaining writing material from unexpected sources. He used his 2011 crime novel, Nairobi Heat, as an example, explaining it was inspired by an incident where he discovered an unconscious woman outside his apartment building. Among the other things he spoke on was on writers' navigation of the intersections of languages, culture and memory.
Kenyan literary Blogger, journalist & podcaster James Murua's class was "The Power of the Niche", where he spoke on writers writing on their area of interest and expertise to build a brand and form a dedicated audience, to achieve success. At the end of the session, he revealed that his wife, South African author Zukiswa Wanner, was among the activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla, captured by the Israeli military during a humanitarian mission to Gaza.
The final masterclass of the day was by Irish poet, playwright & performer, Stephen James Smith, on his first visit to Nigeria. He spoke on how deep connections between people, places and identities are through poetry and personal narratives. Mr Smith also treated the audience to a delightful recitation of a few of his poems.
Qfest Day 1 ended with a photo session. #quramofestivalofwords2025 #qfest2025
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