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This year, we mark the 68th anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart—Chinua Achebe’s literary classic that redefined African literature and reshaped global conversations about identity, culture, and power.
The Things Fall Apart Festival 2026 is a week-long celebration that brings together leading literary voices, cultural enthusiasts, historians, artists, and passionate readers in an immersive experience that honours Achebe’s work and its continued relevance in today’s world.
Supported by the Enugu State Government and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), this year’s edition explores the theme: “Named, Unnamed, Renamed: Power, Identity and the Right to Self-Definition.” Drawing from Achebe’s profound insights on naming, erasure, resistance, and self-authorship, this year’s theme confronts some of the most urgent questions of our time.
Through curated workshops, salon sessions, essay contests, panel discussions, art exhibitions, documentary screenings, live theatre, and the immersive Things Fall Apart Village, the festival offers a rich cultural platform that bridges generations and celebrates the enduring legacy of Chinua Achebe.
Engaging Achebe’s Legacy with Africa's Foremost Thinkers, Artists, and Cultural Icons
The face of Okonkwo in the 1987 NTA adaptation of Things Fall Apart
The 2026 edition brings together an extraordinary lineup of thinkers, thespians, folklorists, and literary visionaries across seven curated days in Umuofia:
Featured Extended Fireside on Identity, Naming, and Living Unapologetically as Oneself.
Closing Keynote on “Renaming Ourselves: The Work Ahead for Self-Definition.”
Opening Keynote on “The Weight of a Name: Power, Memory and the Architecture of Identity.”
Curator of the 2026 Things Fall Apart Festival Visual Arts Exhibition.
Centre for Memories, 2 Awgu Street, off Umuoji Street, Independence Layout, Enugu
Sunday, 18th October – Saturday, 24th October 2026
If you’ve ever wanted to enter the pages of Things Fall Apart, this is your invitation. The festival offers a rare opportunity to walk through the world Achebe so vividly imagined—Umuofia, a symbolic mirror of Ìgbò society. From captivating live cultural performances to the thoughtfully designed Things Fall Apart Village, every corner of the festival brings the novel’s spirit to life.
Whether you're a student of literature, a curious thinker, or a passionate reader, this is your chance to explore the questions that still echo from Things Fall Apart. The festival offers thoughtful encounters through curated salon sessions, panel discussions, exhibitions, and symposiums. Inviting deeper reflections on Achebe’s themes, and how they continue to resonate in today’s world.
One of the festival’s most anticipated highlights is the stirring presence of African screen legends. As the sun sets over the Things Fall Apart Village, expect a powerful gathering of cultural icons. Veteran actor and our Special Guest of Honour, Chief Dr. Pete Edochie, MON, the face of Okonkwo in the 1987 NTA adaptation of Things Fall Apart, and others will will take the stage to inhabit the world Achebe built.
Opening Ceremony of the Things Fall Apart Festival 2026. Featuring the official opening of the Festival Village, guided tours, Adanta Cultural Troupe, breaking of kolanut, opening keynote on "The Weight of a Name", visual arts exhibition opening curated by Prof. Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi, and the wonder masquerade display.
See DetailsMorning workshops in Theatre For Therapy, Egwuregwu Folk Music, and Children's Literature. Afternoon book conversation on Things Fall Apart 68 years on, panel dialogue on "Achebe's Shadow: Naming, Language and the African Novel", film screening of "No Let Dem Die" & Memoir Fireside, and Highlife music by the Therapeutic Band.
See DetailsFolk music workshops, emerging writers literature & poetry masterclasses with Michael Chukwudera & James Eze. Book conversation on "Woman At a Crossroads", panel on "Digital Identity: Usernames & Algorithms", film screening & evening conversation with Nollywood filmmaker Chizoba Nwokoye, and Highlife Karaoke.
See DetailsConclusion of writing masterclasses, book conversation on memoir, exile & naming the self with Pages & Lounge Book Club on Okey Ndibe's work, indigenous music performance by Ikorodo, Gerald Eze & Mike Ejeagha folk presentation, documentary "A Nation of Brutality", and Ichoku Academy live.
See DetailsCommunity dialogue on "What's in an Igbo Name?", panel on "Reclaiming Uli & Nsibidi", theatre presentation on Things Fall Apart, WB Yeats Essay Awards & "The Second Coming" reading, short film "Black Sands", and an extended fireside with screen legend Mr. Nkem Owoh (Osuofia), followed by Ogene music.
See DetailsOral history and community archiving workshop, academic symposium, book conversation with Tinydot & Crater Publishers on Chika Unigwe's fiction, panel on "Colonial Cartography: How Places Were Renamed", film screening of "Never Say Die: Rangers FC", fireside with filmmakers, and Open Mic evening.
See DetailsGrand Finale & Closing Ceremony. Live painting, violin, saxophone, spoken word, theme panel discourse, musical showcases by Rabbai & Oluoma, Closing Keynote on "Renaming Ourselves", presentation of the 2026 Essay Competition Awards, and the grand Ajofia masquerade formally closing the festival.
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