Port Harcourt Book Festival
port harcourt book festival annual literary event port harcourt river state nigeria organised rainbow book club endorsed river state government since garden city literary festival currently known port harcourt book festival founded governor amaechi river state hundred literary fan flock garden city every year sixday event includes book fair writer workshop variety activity past festival attended recognized author hosted number celebrity festival began brainchild koko kalango thought mean propel tourism number heighten literacy awareness city port harcourt neighboring area originally scheduled september year coincide united nation international literacy day festival continued expand highly rated since debut inaugural edition held threeday event – september dubbed garden city literary festival theme writer without border special guest included wole soyinka kofi awoonor elechi amadi along writer okey ndibe kaine agary petrina crockford second festival nigeria year postcolonial literature – september hosted author ngũgĩ wa thiongo j p clark buchi emecheta igoni barrett sefi atta lindsay barrett toni kan fela durotoye tade ipadeola jumoke verissimo abimbola adunni joy isi bewaji coordinated uk nana ayebia clarke along representative book builder british council author ngugi wa thiongo presented keynote speech event titled language bridge building network linguistic feudalism darwinism festival saw change month occurrence first time held december people attended event year event shifted back initial period taking place september theme literature politics festival formally opened governor chibuike amaechi former commonwealth secretarygeneral emeka anyaoku first time history lasted five day prominent attendee chinua achebes son dr chidi achebe—who presented main speech—and activist jesse jackson fifth garden city literary festival woman literature moved october held th th rainbow book club chose hotel presidential festival venue gclf guest author véronique tadjo doreen baingana elechi amadi gabriel okara prof e j alagoa participate also launch coat many colour book put together mr koko kalango alongside president goodluck jonathan governor amaechi contributed foreword introduction respectively also joining group former cross river state governor donald duke wole soyinka mr ibim semenitari towards end occasion city port harcourt reaffirmed unesco world book capital year august mr kalango announced garden city literary festival renamed port harcourt book festival citing reason new name would assist elevating port harcourts profile legitimate destination thing literary festival took place port harcourt opened keynote address nobel laureate professor wole soyinka theme festival book window world possibilities” highlight event included presentation dancedrama titled along came book directed awardwinning playwright bikiya grahamdouglas addition presentation book titled walking book communal story covering sight sound river state written different child selected local government area river state twelve book carefully selected featured festival book includes arrow god chinua achebe april great pond elechi amadi may child shall great ellen shirleaf johnson june ake wole soyinka july tomorrow died yesterday chimeka garrick august world book capital position always brings benefit child term improving reading literary culture submission host always considered based impact book club aspect reading culture literary program society festival brought honour subsahara africa city right host unesco world book capital alexandra egypt african city honouredthe conversation abduction chibok schoolgirl also started nobel laureate prof wole soyinka along dr oby ezekwesili gave voice abduction chibok schoolgirl northern nigeria port harcourt handed position unesco world book capital incheon south korea april port harcourt became second african city first subsaharan city hold position thanks rainbow book club whose submission host annual book day unesco approved port harcourt became th city named unesco world book capital following country like madrid amsterdam beirut others world book capital always hold position one year start april chosen year festival stalled due lack funding due change leadership state river state government prominent partnerscritics academic attributed lack strategic planning aside funding source issue port harcourt book festival website rainbow book club website