People

Events

Schedule

Location
Friday 17th - Sunday 19th October, 2025 at Goethe-Institit Ghana and Foundation for Contemporary Art - Ghana
Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra is organised by Writers Project of Ghana, Goethe-Institut Ghana, and Foundation For Contemporary Art-Ghana.

Events

*Continuously Updated*

*Continuously Updated*

Saturday 18th October 2025

Sage Poetry Screening

Hondred Percent / Logorligi Locomotion

Time: 2:50 to 3.50 PM

Venue: FCA

Sage Poetry is not just a live event — it is a platform designed to capture, archive, and share poetry performances globally via YouTube and social media. The aim is to inspire a new appreciation for Ghanaian poetry, create accessible archives for future generations, and build a loyal, informed audience through digital platforms.

Sage Poetry is a curated Ghanaian poetry experience. The event will be presented as a 20-minute screening of live-recorded performances from August 2025, followed by a panel discussion on the importance of curation, archiving, and strategic partnerships in promoting poetry in the modern age.

Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan  2023, 71 minutes, Documentary, Netherlands, Dutch (with English subtitles)

Dir: Tessa Leuwsha

Time: 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM

Venue: FCA

Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan  is a deep and evocative portrayal of Suriname's history and the personal story it weaves. Its effectiveness in bringing Surinamese history to life, makes it a significant contribution to understanding the country's cultural and historical landscape.

A woman looks back on her life, through narration and song. In Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan, filmmaker Tessa Leuwsha uses a stream of fascinating colorized archival footage to illustrate the lives of Surinamese women like her grandmother, who was a washerwoman.

She’s born in a hamlet in 1905 to a white mother and a black father—a disgrace. Her father is forced to leave and her mother also disappears. She’s despised as a half-caste, does not go to school and soon becomes aware of the state of colonial relations (“we work and they watch”). She has a child whose father is always elsewhere, working for the Dutch. Determined to make the most of her life, she moves to Paramaribo, where she has three more children she raises on her own.

Meanwhile, she sees her homeland moving towards more self-esteem. Before Suriname’s independence in 1975 however, all her children move to the Netherlands—and she eventually follows them, with sorrow in her heart: “In Holland, paradise is like a shadow, just in front of you or behind you, never with you.” Still, strong-willed as she is, she finds a place where she connects with her homeland, her spiritual roots and herself.

''Not only a biography but also a portrait of a colony on the road to independence." -- Pauline Kleijer for De Volkskrant 

"A breathtaking journey through the history of Suriname." -- Guus Schulting for De Filmkrant

The Widow's Dance

Dir: Francine Petrina Mamaa Kwarley Clerk (Ajeso)

Time: 5:20 PM to 6:20 PM

When society forces them to mourn the death of a husband they barely knew, two women find solidarity and strength to confront the tradition that shackles them. The Widow’s Dance is a screen adaptation of an original, unpublished stage play. It explores the concepts of patriarchy and feminism. It urges the audience to answer the question of “who enforces the patriarchy?” It explores themes of grief, gendered violence, resistance and how women’s bodies become battlegrounds for culture, belief and revenge.

Venue: FCA

Sunday 19th October 2025

Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan  2023, 71 minutes, Documentary, Netherlands, Dutch (with English subtitles)

Dir: Tessa Leuwsha

Time: 4:20 PM to 5:30 PM

Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan  is a deep and evocative portrayal of Suriname's history and the personal story it weaves. Its effectiveness in bringing Surinamese history to life, makes it a significant contribution to understanding the country's cultural and historical landscape.

A woman looks back on her life, through narration and song. In Mother Suriname – Mama Sranan, filmmaker Tessa Leuwsha uses a stream of fascinating colorized archival footage to illustrate the lives of Surinamese women like her grandmother, who was a washerwoman.

She’s born in a hamlet in 1905 to a white mother and a black father—a disgrace. Her father is forced to leave and her mother also disappears. She’s despised as a half-caste, does not go to school and soon becomes aware of the state of colonial relations (“we work and they watch”). She has a child whose father is always elsewhere, working for the Dutch. Determined to make the most of her life, she moves to Paramaribo, where she has three more children she raises on her own.

Meanwhile, she sees her homeland moving towards more self-esteem. Before Suriname’s independence in 1975 however, all her children move to the Netherlands—and she eventually follows them, with sorrow in her heart: “In Holland, paradise is like a shadow, just in front of you or behind you, never with you.” Still, strong-willed as she is, she finds a place where she connects with her homeland, her spiritual roots and herself.

''Not only a biography but also a portrait of a colony on the road to independence." -- Pauline Kleijer for De Volkskrant 

"A breathtaking journey through the history of Suriname." -- Guus Schulting for De Filmkrant

*Continuously Updated*

Friday 17th October 2025

  1. Poetry Performance by Babs Gons

    Time: 7.20 PM - 7.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

  1. Dramatised Reading: "My Parents Marriage" by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond

    Produced by Foundspace Productions and directed by Alice Johnson

    Time: 7.35 PM - 8.35 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    Cast: Angelina Boakye, Monica Awinbono Azitariga, Daniel Dazam , Esther Davis Eshun , Kwabena Okyere, Lordina Kwarteng and Miriam Laryea

Saturday 18th October 2025

  1. Book Club Session: "Just Read" Book Club by Language Café Accra

    Jennifer Kindt

    Time: 10:10 AM to 11.10 AM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Abansoro

  1. Book Club Session: "Just Read" Book Club by Language Café Accra

    Jennifer Kindt

    Time: 11:20 AM to 12.20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Abansoro

  1. In Our Own Ways: Selected Readings

    Yejide Kilanko

    Time: 12:30 PM to 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Reading.DNA: Alterhumans

    Jacob Osae

    Time: 12:30 PM to 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Frankfurt

  3. Poetry performance: MutomboDaPoet, Plugged!

    MutomboDaPoet

    Moderated by Kobby Graham Time: 12:30 PM to 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    4. Selected Readings

  4. Noissy Streets

    Modupe Daramola

    Time: 12:30 PM to 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

    Readings and activities:

  1. The Power of Young Voices

    Keilah Taylor and Eline Gadagbeku

    Time: 1:40 PM to 2.40 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  1. Book Launch: The Perfect Place

    Smartline Publishers

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Frontyard

  1. Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture

    Luke Pepera

    Time: 2:50 PM to 3.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

  2. Reading: La Victoria by Ayaz Shah

    Time: 2:50 PM to 3.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

    In La Victoria, Camilo appears to live a contented, orderly life in a small Venezuelan town until the day he comes home to find his wife and daughters gone without a trace. Over the next three harrowing days, his frantic search through La Victoria forces him onto both an outer journey through the city’s streets and an inner descent into the labyrinth of his own mind. Through Camilo, Venezuela emerges, shaped by patriarchal structures, sensuality, hypocrisy, spirituality, and the relentless constraint of individual freedom. A stark and intoxicating work of magical realism.

    Ayaz Shah made his mark with his debut novel La Victoria, a work of magical realism written in Danish and set in a Latin American context. His style and storytelling bear the clear imprint of both his multicultural background and his many years in Latin America.

  3. Poetry Readings

    with Paul Pinnock, Efo Dela and Wilfred Zaglale Bormeh

    Time: 2:50 PM to 3.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  1. Reading and conversation:Grow Where They Fall

    Michael Donkor

    Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Selected Readings

    Nana Achampong

    Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Frontyard

  3. Readings and Conversation: Writing Narrative Nonfiction. With Christa Kuljian

    Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  4. Wandering Imaginations/Bradford 2025 (Short Readings and Discussion)

    A feature of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

    Akorfa Dawson, Kristina Diprose, Claire Govender, Peggy Kere Osman

    Time: 5:10 PM to 6:10 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  1. Storytelling Performance: Seanchoíche

    Seanchoíche

    Time: 5:10 PM to 6:10 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    Do you want to perform on stage with Seanchoíche? Register here: seanchoiche.com/tellyourstory

    Read more about Seanchoíche here: https://www.seanchoiche.com/

  1. Book Launch: Unchained

    SaCut Akaabitono Amenga-Etego

    Time: 5:20 PM to 6:40 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Frontyard

  1. Storytelling Performance: Seanchoíche

    Seanchoíche

    Time: 6:20 PM to 7:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

  2. Readings and Discussion: Writing and the Migrant Experience. With Kossi Komla-Ebri

    Time: 6:20 PM to 7:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  1. Readings and Conversations with Temi Oh

    Moderated by Pauline Van Rensburg and Cheryl Ntumy

    Time: 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  2. Poetry Performance with Penboy

    Time: 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    3. Reading and discussion:

  3. New writing from new writers: Velma Otchwemah (Sacrosanctum) and Elizabeth Patterson (My Life After Death))

    Time: 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

Sunday 19th October 2025

  1. Reading: Medicine and Literature Without Borders

    Wale Okediran

    Moderated by Kofi Akpabli Time: 12:50 PM to 1:50 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  2. Reading: The 28th February House

    by Demi Letsa

    Moderated by Efo Dela

    Time: 12:50 PM to 1:50 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  3. Selecting Readings from the Creative Writing Class, Department of English, University of Ghana

    Loretta Fanou Kata Daki, Cindy Selasi Humade, Felicia Kissiwaa Tawiah

    Moderated by Aduke Gomez

    Time: 12:50 PM to 1:50 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  4. Launch of The Gourd: Professor Kofi Anyidoho, Professor Obadele Kambon, Kofi Akpabli, Stella Botwe and Kofi Nazzah.

    Moderated by

    Time: 12:50 PM to 1:50 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    5. The Gourd is a creative writing and cultural magazine dedicated to discussing and analyzing the changing cultural and social scene in Ghana. Our articles cover the entire panoply of creative expression in African Languages and in English.

  1. Selected Readings Gheysika Agambila

    Moderated by Reginald Asangba Taluah

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  2. Selected Readings: Raoul de Jong.

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

  3. Poetry Performance: Phillippa Yaa de Villiers

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Inner

  1. Reading: A "Necessary Fiction" Experience

    Eloghosa Osunde

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

  2. Poetry Performance: Stephen James Smith

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Inner Courtyard

  3. Selected Readings HRM Bubaraye Dakolo

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  4. Book Launch: Eat Not My Wife

    Jay Jay Segbefia

    Time: 3:10 PM to 5:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Frontyard

  1. Poetry Readings

    Sophia Amissah Laryea, Beatrice "Bee" Arthur, and Hephzi Tagoe

    Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  1. Performance: Misery Loves Company

    Inkaba Creative Art House (S.A.)

    Busisiwe Mazibuko, Direi Masenya /

    Misery Loves Company is a thought provoking play that explores the complexities of the mind.

    The story revolves around John, a highly intelligent individual who struggles with depression. Despite his intellectual powers, John’s mental health deteriorates, and he finds himself trapped in a world of darkness and isolation.

    As John’s depression deepens, he begins to experience hallucinations, blurring the lines between reality and madness. His inner turmoil is a manifestation of devastation consequences of untreated mental illness.

    Through John's journey, the play sheds light on the importance of seeking help and the devastating effects of stigma surrounding mental health. Misery Loves Company challenges audiences to confront the harsh realities of mental illness and the importance of compassion and understanding.

    Time: 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

    2. CAST
    Direi Masenya — John
    CREATIVE TEAM
    Busisiwe Mazibuko — Writer & Director

    Inkaba Creative Art House is a theatre company operating out of Pretoria, South Africa. It was founded in 2016 by Busisiwe Mazibuko with the intent to create more opportunities for women and underrecognised artists in the creative sector, as well as address social and economic issues. Under Mazibuko’s leadership, they have struck a balance performing and touring nationally and internationally while also engaging in arts education outreach in rural and underserved communities.

  1. Live Accross Africa: Poetry Perfomances

    Various

    Time: 7.00 PM to 8:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

*Continuously Updated*

Friday 17th October 2025

Past Forward: Archives, Photos and Storytelling: Judith Opoku-Boateng in conversation with Prof Esi Sutherland-Addy

Time: 6.20 PM to 7:10 PM.

Venue: Goethe-Institut/Courtyard

In recent years, archives have gone from dusty backrooms to the frontlines of culture — taking center stage in everything Culturally relevant from documentaries and exhibitions to Digital Storytelling, Film and Academia. But what does the sudden interest in Archives really mean, especially for a place like Ghana, where storytelling has always lived more in the people than on paper?

Across the globe, there’s been a kind of archive renaissance — and Ghana is no exception. From oral histories to hidden photographs, artists and cultural workers are digging deep to tell new stories from old materials. But this shift also raises some big questions: Who gets to archive our culture? What gets preserved — and what gets lost? And how do these choices shape the Ghana we remember, celebrate, or even resist?

In this conversation, we bring together two powerhouse voices from Ghana’s cultural scene — with work spanning, literature, archives, audio-visual research, photography, theatre, and academia. They're not just documenting culture; they're building the archives themselves. Both have played leading roles in major archive-based cultural projects: The Willis Bell Archive (Photography) and Nketia Archives.

Saturday 18th October 2025

  1. Open Discussion on Publishing with an emphasis on book production.

    Othniel Forte, Amarachukwu Chimeka, Elliot Agyare

    Time: 10:10 AM to 11.10 AM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Foyer

  1. Discussion: Translating cultural and emotional depth from page to performance.

    Ayaz Shah and Alice Johnson

    Time: 11:20 AM to 12.20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  2. Aeon Magazine: Presentation and Discussion from the Aeon Writers Workshop

    Sam Dresser and Olivia Hains

    Time: 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  3. Talk: The Unspoken Word

    Speaker: Hondred Percent

    Time: 11:20 AM to 12.20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  4. Presentation and Discussion: "Bridging the Gap"

    Boakye D Alpha and the Creatives Project

    Time: 11:20 AM to 12.20 PM

    Venue: Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana

  1. Talk: Blogging, Content Creation & Challenges with AI

    Frederick Emile Bondzie-Arthur

    Time: 12:30 PM to 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Presentation and Discussion: "Bridging the Gap"

    Boakye D Alpha and the Creatives Project

    Time: 12:30 PM to 1.10 PM

    Venue: Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana

  1. Panel: Can African Writers Use AI Without Being Used By It?

    Panelists: Kobby Graham, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Rose Afriyie and (Audrey-Bertha) Nuerki Nartey.

    Moderated by Famia Nkansa

    Time: 1:40 PM to 2:40 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Panel: Building literary communities across colonial borders: Linguistic and other challenges

    Panelists: Edwige Dro, Mamadou Ngom and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers

    Time: 1:40 PM to 2:40 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

  3. Presentation: Author Portraits -- Opportunities and limitations of a genre

    with Dirk Skiba

    Time: 1:40 PM to 2:40 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  1. Panel:Speculative fiction, spirituality & the material world

    Pauline Jansen van Rensburg, Akorfa Dawson, Cheryl Ntumy. Moderated by Akotowaa Ofori

    Time: 2:50 PM to 3.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  1. Panel: "Tar Baby": The return of distant cousins.

    Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey, Ama Asantewa Diaka, Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, Fui Can-Tamakloe, Yibor Kojo Yibor. Moderated by Crystal Tettey.

    Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  2. Panel:Weaving Ananse Through Ghana, Netherlands and the Caribbean.

    Raoul de Jong Tessa Leuwsha and Babs Gons. Moderated by Ama van Dantzig

    Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

  1. Panel: Trauma in African fiction: Interrogating Stereotypes & Expectations. Dr. Mamadou Abdou Babou Ngom and Yejide Kilanko. . Moderated by Yaw Atuobi

    Time: 5:10 PM to 6:10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

  2. Conversation: 'Seeking Sexual Freedom: African Rites, Rituals, and Sankofa in the Bedroom'. A sneak peek with celebrated author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah.

    Moderated by Rose Afriyie

    Time: 5:10 PM to 6:10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  1. Conversation: Writing the Other in Contemporary African Narratives

    Eloghosa Osunde and Chiké Frankie Edozien .

    Time: 6:20 PM to 7:20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Talk: Prevention over Incision: Move it or Lose it. Talk on Spinal Health & Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders caused by writing

    Samuel Otoo .

    Time: 6:20 PM to 7:20 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  1. "Lust in Translation".

    Conversation with Modupe Daramola, Empi Baryeh, and Ursula M. Abanga. Live reading/performance by Gina Castle and Susan Augustt.

    Time: 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM

    Moderator: Pamm Takyiwaa

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Bulgarian Centre

    About: "Lust in Translation" offers a sensorial journey into romance and erotic literature, blending dramatic readings, writer discussions, and an immersive audio experience. While designed for all festival guests, writers are particularly encouraged to attend. This event aims to foster a curated exploration of desire, language, and sound, redefining how literary art is consumed and felt.

  1. "Lust in Translation".

    Conversation with Modupe Daramola, Empi Baryeh, and Ursula M. Abanga

    Time: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

    Moderator: Pamm Takyiwaa

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Bulgarian Centre

    About: "Lust in Translation" offers a sensorial journey into romance and erotic literature, blending dramatic readings, writer discussions, and an immersive audio experience. While designed for all festival guests, writers are particularly encouraged to attend. This event aims to foster a curated exploration of desire, language, and sound, redefining how literary art is consumed and felt.

Sunday 19th October 2025

  1. Panel: Working cross-culturally in literature and film.

    Ayaz Shah, Claire Govender , Kristina Diprose and Tessa Leuwsha.

    Moderated by Crystal Tettey

    Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Poetry Clinic: Precscriptions for the Soul

    Denoo Edinam Yawo , Henneh Kwaku Kyereh and Dr. Nana Aba Kwenua Pobee

    Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  1. Panel: Exploring common ground in political fiction through the magical realism lens of Mexico’s "Pedro Páramo".

    Fernando Alvarado Valenzuela, HRM Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, and Jeffrey Renard Allen (joining virtually).

    Moderated by Mamle Kabu

    Time: 12:50 PM to 1:50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  1. Panel: Exploring common ground in political fiction through the magical realism lens of Mexico’s "Pedro Páramo".

    Fernando Alvarado Valenzuela, HRM Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV and Jeffrey Renard Allen (joining virtually).

    Moderated by Mamle Kabu

    . Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  2. Presentation: Book Cover Designs in Contemporary Ghanaian Literature

    Tracy Arthur.

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  3. Panel: Amplifying silent voices: Journeys in creative non-fiction

    Christa Kuljian, Angela Wright, Tanya Zack.

    Moderated by Kobina Graham

    Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

  1. Panel: Writing Women’s Lives: Spotlighting hidden figures

    Christa Kuljian, Ama Asantewa Diaka, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah.

    Moderated by Aziza Atta

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  2. Panel Discussion: Scribes in Scrubs: Doctors who write

    Dora Egblewogbe, Teddy Totimeh, Nelly Adade and Jessilyn Sulemana Stevenson

    Moderated by Yaw Atuobi

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg AND Zoom

  3. Panel Discussion:Writing and Literature as Tools for Rekindling Patriotism in Ghana

    David Kwaku Sakyi

    Moderated by Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey

    Time: 3:10 PM to 4:10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

  1. Panel: World-building in Speculative Fiction: Where do we source our building blocks?

    Kristina Diprose, Peggy Kere Osman and Jacob Osae Moderated by Mary Ashun

    Time: 4:20 PM to 5:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  2. Panel: Creating and Curating Literary Spaces

    Edwige Dro, Ama Asantewa Diaka, Seth Avusuglo and Wale Okediran

    Moderated by Aziza Atta

    Time: 4:20 PM to 5:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Hamburg

  3. Conversation: Weaving Stories: Connecting The Dots, Navigating the Plains with Nancy Afua ‘Efe’ Agyeman

    Moderated by Joana Chemel

    Time: 4:20 PM to 5:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

    4. 10 Stories. 6 countries. 3 continents. "Each image, a thread in the tapestry of human experiences..."

    From the bustling, fast-paced life in streets of Lagos, Nigeria to the quiet wisdom passed between mothers and daughters in Kenya and Brazil, Weaving Stories brings you face-to-face with the everyday lives of people you may not encounter in the news or TV shows. Whether it’s the culinary traditions of Salvador de Bahia, the community in rural villages, a young Ghanaian girl navigating an audacious and artistic scientific dream or the fighting spirit of a mother with disABILITY in Cape Town, this book is a celebration of the richness, complexity, and beauty of Afrocentric life.

  4. Panel Discussion: The Role of Writing Workshops in Developing New Talent with Pfumo Collective

    Moderated by

    Bernard Akoi-Jackson

    Time: 4:20 PM to 5:20 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

  1. Ewe Book of the Year: "Adela Megblɔa Wokatã o" by Victor K. A. Glakpe Ewe Literature Initiative

    Panelists: Ms Agnes Titriku, Dr Stephen Dziedzorm Dadugblor , Dr G Edzordzi Agbozo

    Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln, Online. Link:

  2. Panel: Black, African, Diasporan: How we love differently

    Larada Lee-Wallace, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah and Famia Nkansa. Moderated by Ama Asantewa Diaka

    Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

  1. Panel Discussion: The Future of African Literary Entrepreneurship

    Nana Kwasi Boatey Esq. MD, Jennifer K. Akuamoah , Ruby Goka, Ivana Akotowaa Ofori and Ama Dadson

    Moderated by

    Time: 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Koln

    2. This panel brings together writers, publishers, cultural producers, and creative entrepreneurs to explore what it means to be a literary entrepreneur in today’s Africa. Beyond producing books, African writers and storytellers are expanding their practice into new terrains—merging literature with technology, brand-building, and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

    By centering African realities—our publishing ecosystems, digital infrastructures, and global networks—this panel will provoke fresh thinking on how African literary entrepreneurs can shape not only their own futures but the future of global storytelling.

Saturday 18th October 2025

  1. Illustration class with Tracy Arthur

    Time: 1.00 PM FF (all-day)

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

  2. Illustration class with Vibetoons

    Time: 1.00 PM FF (all-day)

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

    3. Facilitated by: Saharatu Yakubu and Jessica Dodoo

    VibeToons is a 2D animation studio based in Ghana, dedicated to nurturing young artists and empowering them to bring their imagination to life through compelling storytelling. At VibeToons, storytelling sits at the heart of everything we do. We provide hands-on training in comic design, scriptwriting, voice acting, and creative collaboration - equipping the next generation of storytellers with the tools they need to thrive.

    Through our online community, The Toons Club, we host weekly lessons where young creators learn, share ideas, and collaborate on exciting projects. This not only serves as a learning hub but also as a vibrant space for networking and building lasting creative partnerships.

    Our vision is to raise a new wave of excellent storytellers who will shape the future of film and animation on a global stage.

  1. Reading/Launch: Easter Along The River by Yowome Williams

    Time: 12.30 PM - 1.30 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

  1. Reading/Activity: The Power of Children's Voices by Eline Gadagbeku and Keilah Taylor

    Time: 1.40 PM - 2.40 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  1. Storytime with Aduke Gomez

    Time: 2.50 PM - 3.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Library

  1. Nii, The Kenkey Boy: Storytime with Nikitta Dede Adjirakor

    Time: 4.00 PM - 5.00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

Sunday 19th October 2025

  1. Storytime with Nana Efa Attafua

    Time: 12.50 PM - 1.50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

  1. Let's Be Friends: Storytelling performace Akumbu Uche

    Time: 3.00 PM - 4.00 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

  1. Selected Readings with Gheysika Agambila

    Time: 4:10 PM to 5.10 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Children's Corner

Please see the list below and apply using the linked forms or as specified.

  1. Writing Workshop with Professor Jeffery Allen

    This workshop is now closed to applications. Please apply to one of the others.

    Writers at all levels are encouraged to participate in this workshop with noted author Jeffery Renard Allen.

    Poets send up to 15 pages of poetry, single-spaced and with a 12-point font. Prose writers (fiction and creative non-fiction) send up to 25 pages, double-spaced with a 12-point font.

    This workshop is limited to 12 writers only.

    Date: 20th - 22nd October 2025; in-person

    Venue: dot.ateliers, South La, Accra.

    Time: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM.

    Open to signed-up participants only.

    About the Workshop: The purpose of the workshop is for each writer to receive constructive feedback that will help produce a publishable manuscript.

    Facilitator: Retired university professor, Dr. Jeffery Renard Allen is the award-winning author of six books of poetry and fiction. He serves as the Africa Editor for The Evergreen Review. Find out more about him at www.writerjefferyrenardallen.

    Please apply here.

  2. Speculative Fiction and the Power of Collaborative Worldbuilding

    This workshop is now closed to applications. Please apply to one of the others.

    Speculative fiction is a broad genre encompassing science fiction, fantasy and magic realism. It allows both writer and reader to imagine alternate realities in the present, future or past. The ability to imagine new worlds, better worlds, determines our ability to make changes in this world. Collaborative worldbuilding takes this a step further by returning storytelling – which has become a largely individualistic and internalised process – to its communal roots.

    About the Workshop: This workshop will explore the following:

    1. An introduction to speculative fiction
    2. Collaborative storytelling and storytelling as community-building
    3. Communal ownership of intellectual property
    4. Worldbuilding 101: the elements that bring speculative fiction to life
    5. How to build worlds together
    6. Real-world applications of collaborative worldbuilding
    No previous experience in speculative fiction, worldbuilding or storytelling required. All you need is curiosity and the desire to collaborate. As the old saying tells us: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

    Please apply here.

    Date: Friday 17th October 2025; in-person

    Time: 12.30 PM - 2.30 PM

    Venue: GI/Library

    Facilitator: Cheryl Ntumy .

  3. Estranging the Ordinary: Speculative Technologies - Reprogramming the Social Machine

    About the workshop: Contemporary speculative fiction goes beyond distant futures, dragons, and dystopias. It is a creative and critical practice for reimagining the systems and “social technologies” that structure our world. In this workshop, participants will explore how speculative writing can act as a laboratory for estranging the ordinary, blurring boundaries between human, machine, and culture, and using language as a tool of imagination.

    Drawing on key frameworks from literary and cultural theory, we will ‘reprogram’ familiar social systems into speculative hybrids and write short scenes that dramatize encounters with them. Together, we’ll discover how speculative fiction can both critique the present and prototype possible futures.

    Through a blend of theory, play, and practice, participants will expand their craft and creative range in an immersive, collaborative experiment that unfolds like a mini art-happening.

    Writers will leave with speculative fragments, sharpened craft tools, and fresh perspectives - plus a pair of speculative safety glasses: lenses for imagining new futures.

    No prior background in theory or creative writing required; only curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to experiment!

    Date: Saturday 18th October 2025; in-person

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Munchen

    Time: 10.00 AM - 12.15 AM

    Facilitator: Pauline Jansen Van Rensburg

    This workshop is limited to 20 writers only.

    Please apply here.

  4. Techniques for Writing Nonfiction

    Date: Friday 17th October 2025; in-person

    Venue: Goethe-Institut, Accra.

    Time: 12.30 PM - 4.30 PM

    Facilitator: Christa Kuljian

    Please apply here.

    About the workshop: Do you want to write nonfiction, but have had trouble getting started? Do you have a draft article that you’d like to polish? This workshop will give you some inspiration. We will explore techniques for writing narrative nonfiction – drawing on techniques from writing fiction. We will explore writing in scenes, character development and dialogue, point of view and voice as well as plot development and narrative arc. We will also discuss the importance of research and interviewing. Each participant is encouraged to come to the workshop with a piece of nonfiction writing. It could be a short personal essay, or a piece of reporting or journalism. Participants are asked to read two nonfiction articles in advance (see below). We will have fun learning from one another and working on our writing together!

    Required readings:

    1. https://wits.journalism.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CMC-Salon-article-Dec-2010.pdf
    2. https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2017/11/06/a-confrontation-we-see-as-our-birthright-an-excerpt-from-sisonke-msimangs-new-book-always-another-country/

  5. Workshop: Performance Poetry

    Date: Friday 17th October 2025; in-person

    Venue: dot.ateliers, South La, Accra

    Time: 12.30 PM - 2.30 PM

    About the workshop: In this workshop by poet and spoken word artist, Babs Gons, the focus will be on the performance of poetry.

    In the first part, we will work on a poem through a series of writing exercises.

    Subsequently we’ll work on stage performance. How do we bring the poems to life on stage? We will focus on things like expression, use of voice, body language, posture, timing and rhythm and we'll end the workshop with a presentation.

    This workshop is limited to 16 participants only.

    Facilitator: Babs Gons.

    Please apply here.

  6. Using character archetypes to shape your story

    Please note the time change.

    Time: 3.30 PM - 5.00 PM, Friday, 17th October 2025.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/

    About the Workshop: Sometimes writing a story can feel like an act of discovery rather than an act of creation. This workshop will explore how understanding character archetypes, timeless patterns found in myth and literature, can help you uncover the hidden shape of your narrative. We’ll look at six universal archetypal journeys — the Maiden, the Hero, the Queen, the King, the Crone, and the Mage — and the ways they appear across genres, from fantasy to thrillers. You’ll learn how to identify the archetypal journeys at the heart of your characters and transform their arcs into stories that are resonant and unforgettable.

    Facilitator: Temi Oh

    Please apply here.

  7. Why Not? (Creative Workshop)

    Time: 2.30 PM - 4.30 PM, Friday, 17th October 2025.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Leipzig.

    About the Workshop: We’ve all heard the phrase “think outside the box,” but how often do we truly step beyond the safe and familiar? Why Not? is a high-energy creativity lab where participants explore unconventional perspectives and break free from clichés.

    Through guided prompts and collaborative brainstorming, you’ll learn how to flip the expected and create compelling, fresh ideas. No poems or prose will be written—this is about generating powerful creative roadmaps you can apply to writing, speaking, and problem-solving.

    Key Takeaways:

    1. How to identify and avoid clichéd thinking.
    2. Practical techniques to spark unconventional ideas.
    3. Tools for mapping out fresh creative directions.
    4. Greater confidence in taking risks with your ideas.

    Target Audience: Writers, poets, visual artists, storytellers, corporate innovators, educators, and students.

    Facilitator: Hondred Percent

    Please apply here.

  8. The Power of Play & Writing

    Time: 2.30 PM - 4.30 PM, Friday, 17th October 2025.

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/.

    About the Workshop: To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between fiction and nonfiction. -- Nawal El Saadawi.

    How do we as writers learn not to take ourselves too seriously all the time? Traditionally, many of us come to stories as children from a place of wonder, excitement and intrigue. Storytellers understood the art of performance, and in performance there is the art of play. Playing is crucial to our learning and fuels our imagination and boosts our joy. Writing, in its nature, requires discipline. Discipline requires flow. Flow requires surrender. Regardless of the subject matter or genre you write in, by learning to tap into your own art of play, you invite surrender and flow into your discipline.

    This workshop will support you in carving those joyful tools through movement, self-reflection and imaginative play to identify your natural flow once you move past ‘seriousness’. Play is innate. When we incorporate it into our writing discipline, we connect to a deeper knowing and appreciation of what we can create.

    Experience: Open to all, experience not necessary.

    Facilitator: Marcelle Mateki Akita

    Please apply here.

  9. Zine Making Workshop with Pure Wata Zine

    Time: 2.30 PM - 4.30 PM, Friday, 17th October 2025.

    Venue: GI/.

    About the Workshop: Zines are self-published magazines that have a long history in knowledge dissemination, resistance and community organising.

    At Pure Wata Zine, we publish work by a range of creatives and weave together different snippets to build a living archive of creative life in Accra and beyond. Our slogan ‘Art, like water, is for everyone’ seeks to capture how art is found in the seemingly mundane everyday – preserving the heart of DIY publishing.

    We invite you to a hands-on workshop where we’ll guide you through our creative practice at Pure Wata Zine, discuss the history of zine-making and create our very own zines. Whether you want to get your writing out there, overcome writer’s block, or find new ways to journal, zines can be a powerful medium to explore. You’ll be guided through the process of creating your own mini-zines using collaging, drawing, and writing to craft personal narratives.

    No prior experience is needed – just curiosity and a willingness to experiment. Art supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring personal print-outs, photos or writing to include in your zine.

    Facilitator: Miriam Emefa Dzah

    Please apply here.

Launch Event:

Saturday 18th October 2025

Venue: Foundation For Contemporary Art-Ghana (FCA)

Time: 1:40 PM - 2:40 PM

Exhibition:

Friday 10th October - 30th October 2025

Venue: Foundation For Contemporary Art-Ghana (FCA)

Time: 10.00 AM each day

Wandering Imaginations: New writing inspired by the Brontës’ imaginary worlds.

Source: https://bradford2025.co.uk/programme/wandering-imaginations/

The Brontës’ childhood stories provide the launchpad for four new fantasy and science-fiction stories created for Bradford 2025.

As children in Haworth, the Brontë siblings dreamed up a series of imaginary worlds – including Angria, a fantastical kingdom that maps on to the coast of West Africa. Now, nearly 200 years later, we’ve invited four emerging writers – two from Bradford, two from Ghana – to use these imaginary worlds as inspiration for four new fantasy and science–fiction stories, and you can discover them in September as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Wandering Imaginations collects these four new stories, written following residencies at Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth. You can listen to them at a new exhibition at Brontë Parsonage Museum, which also features animations and illustrations inspired by the stories; meet the writers at a special launch event, taking place as part of the annual Brontë Women’s Writing Festival in September 2025; and download the stories for free from 24 September.

More here: https://bradford2025.co.uk/programme/wandering-imaginations/

Sunday 19th October 2025

  1. Prize Award Ceremony: 2025 Abena Korantemaa Oral History Prize

    Time: 12:00 PM to 1:50 PM

    Venue: Goethe-Institut/Berlin

    2. Abena Korantemaa Oral History Prize (AKOHP) is a prize for Oral History is awarded to a recorded narration by a woman 65 years or older, and was established to honour Abena Korantemaa by her family, and is sponsored by MAKEDA PR. The prize is also aims to encouraging younger Ghanaians to document history and seeks to encourage the production of creative non-fiction from Ghana.

    Submissions for the 2025 edition have been judged, and results have been returned. The winners will be presented with their awards at this ceremony.

Friday 17th October 2025 - Sunday 19th October 2025

All-day

  1. Photo Booth with Dirk Skiba

    Have your author portrait taken by renowned photographer, Dirk Skiba.

    For more: ( www.http://dirk-skiba-fotografie.de)

    This service is free of charge.

  2. Poetry Clinic

    Poetry Clinic is a hybrid literary-wellness experience that explores poetry as a form of emotional care and healing. Drawing from the language of clinical care, this immersive activity invites festival-goers to engage with poetry as “prescriptions” for emotional and mental states such as grief, rage, love, heartbreak, confusion, joy.

    Participants will receive curated or co-written poetic prescriptions from poets at the clinic based on their mood or need. Some may also leave with their own poetic responses, becoming both patient and poet.

    Rooted in Ghanaian oral traditions and mental health advocacy, the Poetry Clinic reframes care as creative and communal.

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