Event: Quramo Festival of Words

07 May Event: Quramo Festival of Words

I attended the Quramo Festival of Words in October 2024 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The overarching theme ‘The Shifting: Empowering Voices…Inspiring Minds‘ was reflected in every aspect of the festival and the talks I went to tapped into the theme beautifully. 💡 I was inspired by the Book Chats moderated by Ms Aduke Gomez with Justice Adenike Coker, author of ‘Musings‘ and ‘Grief, Melancholy and Life‘ and Ms Foluso Agbaje, author of ‘The Parlour Wife.’ 💡 Key takeaways from ‘QSPEAKS: The Soft Power of Creatives in Social and National Development‘ with Olasupo Shasore, SAN: 1. Today’s storytellers are our writers, documentarians, editors, musicians, film producers, etc. 2. Storytelling helps to keep us connected to our history. 3. Storytelling develops the infrastructure of the mind. 4. What is the purpose of your art? Your purpose must be intentional. 5. The potency of the soft power of storytelling is undeniable. 💡 Key takeaways from the ‘Lenses Of Change: Harnessing the Power of Your Camera for Social Impact‘ Panel Discussion: 1. Kagho Idhebor [Filmmaker]: If you want to know about the problems in society, listen to the poets, listen to the artists. 2. Akaoma Onyeonoru [Multichoice Talent Factory]: Films and pictures can change narratives and shift people’s perspectives on an issue. 3. Adolphus Opara [Photographer]: The image as a tool for social change cannot be overemphasised. 💡 Key takeaways from the ‘Canex Book Factory & The African Book Industry Value Chain‘ Panel Discussion: ▶️ Dr Eghosa Imasuen [The Canex Book Factory]: 1. The Nigerian publishing sector needs more support from the government so that it can amplify more Nigerian voices. 2. The real work is the financial instruments that allow the publishing of African voices to take place. 3. They say Nigerians don’t read but we’re selling more books than ever before, more Nigerian writers are aware of Nigerian publishers and are signing with them, and the film rights to Nigerian books are being sold worldwide. ▶️ Azafi Omoluabi [Parrésia Publishers]: 1. Even in other parts of the world where the publishing sectors receives significant financial investment, there are still challenges to be overcome, so we must persevere on the African continent. 2. Publishing is becoming a pure intellectual property business, so storytellers must adequately protect their work.