Lagos:a literary promenade part two
The Gerrard road outlet is very close to Jazz Hole bookshop along Awolowo road in Ikoyi.Jazz Hole remains an important stop on any Lagos literary itinerary and you find many items here as you will do in any vinyl record outlet.Jazz Hole is in proximity to CSS Bookshop, within the Bookshop House building.Created in 1869,this is the oldest book retailer in Lagos and the products on display here are general interest materials,manuals for children,religious books and higher education titles.
Retail outlets on the Lagos Mainland
On the Lagos mainland are retail outlets such as the Unilag Bookshop,Patabah,Roving Heights and Quidah Bookshop.Titles that are not reviewed in the local press but of interest to discerning researchers are available at the Unilag Bookshop.At the Adeniran Ogunsanya shopping centre,the window display of Patabah bookshop is an invitation to enter the bookshop as you will do anywhere in the world.Roving Heights, has a subscription system for regulars,the boutique is popular for its poetry readings,discussions with authors and featured on the Commendation List of the 2023 London International Book Fair.
Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo and Bookshop House building.
Five professional dates to bookmark
On the literary agenda of Lagos are five dates that are worth bookmarking.The first date is the Nigerian International Book Fair in the month of May,this event is the most important book fair in Nigeria and attended by publishers and education professionals from India,Britain,South Africa and many West African countries.Some few weeks after the Nigerian International Book Fair,there is the annual conference of the Lagos Studies Association.An intellectual platform for academic and non-academic professionals eager to network,exchange views and educate the public on their research findings related to the culture,religion,economy and the history of Lagos.
Lagos literary festivals
Every year,the Lagos International Poetry Festival is able to gather the attention of poets from around the world in different Ikoyi and Victoria lsland venues.Last year and contrary to the news on the relocation of the Ake Book & Arts Festival to Abeokuta, the 10th edition of the festival was organised at the Strong Tower Events Centre. And for the past 25 years,in the month of November,the Lagos Book & Art Festival or LABAF has acquired the status of an international literary event by using art exhibitions,film shows,conferences and book promotion campaigns to consolidate the status of Lagos,as a vibrant literary spot on the coast of West Africa.
