Renowned Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is set to lead a host of artists and storytellers at the maiden edition of the Things Fall Apart Festival, scheduled to take place on June 29 in Enugu.
The Centre for Memories (CFM), organisers of the festival, made this announcement in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Mazi Iheanyi Igboko, on Thursday in Enugu.
According to Igboko, the event is a bold expansion of the annual Things Fall Apart Day, evolving into a full-fledged cultural festival in honour of Chinua Achebe, author of the iconic novel Things Fall Apart.
Adichie is slated to deliver the keynote address on the festival’s theme: “Masculine, Feminine, Human – The Dialogue of Complements in Things Fall Apart.”
“Currently on a global tour promoting her forthcoming novel Dream Count, Adichie returns home to pay tribute to one of her greatest literary influences,” Igboko said. “Her address will reflect on the ‘Achebean inheritance’ — a powerful meditation on storytelling, cultural identity, and the enduring conversation between history and selfhood.”
The week-long event will critically explore gender dynamics in Achebe’s work and connect them to ongoing global conversations on identity, humanity, and cultural equilibrium.
Designed as an immersive cultural experience, the festival will honour Achebe’s legacy through art, performance, technology, and scholarship, reimagining the fictional village of Umuofia for modern audiences.
Festival highlights will include:
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Dramatic performances and staged readings
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Salon-style conversations with cultural thought leaders
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Immersive tech installations
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An art exhibition
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An essay competition for students and the general public
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Film screenings and guided memory walks
A special feature of the festival will be the appearance of cast members from the 1987 television adaptation of Things Fall Apart, in which Nollywood icon Pete Edochie starred as Okonkwo.
Also making a grand entrance will be the Ajofia masquerades, known for their significant role in Achebe’s novel, as part of the recreated Umuofia village experience.
The Things Fall Apart Festival will run from June 29 to July 5 at the Centre for Memories, located in Independence Layout, Enugu.
Igboko extended an invitation to schools, creatives, literary societies, traditional institutions, businesses, and the general public to take part in the celebration of Achebe’s enduring legacy.
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