Celebrating African Creativity: The Akada Children’s Book Festival Highlights Storytelling Excellence

For eight years, the Akada Children’s Book Festival has united children, parents, teachers, exhibitors and book lovers to celebrate African creativity through children’s picture books. The eighth edition, held on 23 May 2026 in Lagos, was themed “Big Dreams, Bold Stories.” Esther Oluku reports that the event is crystallising into a movement aimed at reviving reading among children in a fast‑moving digital age.

On Saturday, 23 May 2026, 19 tents stood inside the courtyard of Rugby School, Lagos, as hundreds of participants gathered to celebrate one cause—books. Not just books, but Nigerian‑authored children’s storybooks.

To the left of the entrance stood a tent tagged International Council for Young Authors, displaying books written by children aged five to 17. On the right, five tents housed books and games. There was a tent where people could sip and paint, another where two students were bent over a game of Scrabble, and yet another where science‑themed games were being played.

On the far right of the entrance, under the bright sun, stood a tent with food: popcorn, ice cream, fresh juice and the signature Nigerian party menu—jollof rice. Although the event would continue into the evening, each tent presented an opportunity to discover exciting books, play educational games, learn a Nigerian language and enrich the learning experience of children.

From being an annual event curated to connect lovers of children’s picture books with works written by indigenous authors, the Akada Children’s Book Festival has grown into a movement quietly pushing the frontiers of learning by inspiring children to return to the art of reading.

How the Journey Began

According to the event’s convener, Olubunmi Aboderin‑Talabi, the festival began as an avenue to connect parents, teachers and guardians with age‑appropriate children’s picture books as a first step toward reviving reading culture among children and addressing the gap between Nigerian authors and the market for children’s picture books.

She explained that while subject books are a basic requirement for school‑age children, the goal was to inspire a natural inclination toward reading.

She added that this can be achieved when children are introduced to age‑appropriate texts and images that connect with their understanding.

“To inspire a love of reading, you have to give them something that they’ll find interesting. If you give them a textbook, they will read it because they have to, but you want them to read because they want to. You want them to get into this habit of reading because it’s the fun thing to do, it’s a natural thing to do.”

“Words alone won’t attract and retain their attention. They need images, they need beautifully illustrated stories, and that is what has led to having this festival, so that other authors like myself would have a platform to showcase,” she said.

By creating picture storybooks that reflect local realities, she noted, children see reading as a fun activity and are inspired to believe in the authenticity of their cultural heritage.

“Back in 2019 when we started, there were very few children’s picture books that featured children who looked like us or our children. Most of the picture books available in our market were from abroad, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s also a place for books that are made by us, featuring children who look like us and our children, because if you’re only showing children things that are from abroad, they may think that other cultures are better, or they may undervalue themselves or their culture.”

“So we started off by saying, look, there are some really good children’s picture book writers in Nigeria. Let’s find a way to get them to be heard, let’s give them a platform to talk about their books, to read their books, and so on and so forth.”

“With Akada Festival, we are improving access to age‑appropriate storybooks and also helping self‑published authors find a way of reaching their customers,” she said.

Inspiring Cultural Pride

While activities ran concurrently across all the tents in the courtyard, a nursery was made available for nursing mothers in the main building. The Baby Lounge Event Crèche ensured that mothers and their babies were properly registered and that sleeping babies were closely monitored.

Although many of the books presented were written in English, more than 30 children sat under the Pop Up Library tent at about 12.30 p.m. to listen to Aunty Sola Ojikutu Njoku read the Yoruba book Labalaba Alaba ati Aja Ayo. Their attention remained fixed as she asked questions during the session.

“Aja Ayo ga. Do you all know what it means?” asked Aunty Sola. “That boy at the back, come. Do you know what it means? Come and tell me.”

“Ayo’s dog is tall,” the boy replied.

“Well done,” Aunty Sola remarked, while showing the group the illustration to demonstrate that the dog was indeed tall.

When Aunty Sola read the next sentence, “Aja Ayo sanra,” all the children in the tent wanted to answer.

“Hold on, I have someone who wants to answer me. Do you speak Yoruba?” she asked the boy.

The boy shook his head.

“Ayo’s dog is fat,” he responded to the cheers of the other children.

The session continued until about 1.00 p.m., after which the children moved on to other activities. For many of them, one thing was clear: they had learnt new Yoruba words, with the session subtly encouraging them to take ownership of and pride in their indigenous culture.

What Participants Had to Say

Attendees who spoke with THISDAY had positive things to say about the event.

For Ifeoluwa Dayo Aduradola, the festival was a celebration of creativity and an opportunity to inspire the younger generation.

“This is the fourth Akada Festival I’ve attended,” she said. “I was here last year as a guest author to read to the children, but today I’m here because my daughter is a young author and she’s going to be on the panel.”

“It is one of the most fulfilling things for me and it just shows that I am doing a good job. I’m a writer myself, and watching her grow to take on something that I do so effortlessly shows me that I am doing well. It’s just a wonderful experience,” she said.

For nine‑year‑old Oluwatoke Aduradola, author of the book Up and Down, the message was to be fearless in the pursuit of one’s dreams.

For children her age who would also like to become writers, she advised: “They should write their books and they should not be afraid of showing everybody.”

A teacher who attended the event, Mrs. Ajibade Kehinde, expressed optimism that the experience would remain with the children.

“The event is an opportunity for children to network with each other. We hope that what they have learnt and experienced here today will stay with them, help them in their learning and make them understand the world better,” she said.

For educational technology company STEM METS, its General Manager, Human Resources and Operations, Zena Amiengheme, explained that the event provides a veritable platform for students who are passionate about technology to learn work‑ready skills from a young age.

Akada Children’s Book Festival and the Future

While the event drew to a close in Lagos last Saturday, its impact—the possibilities that could emerge from children who can confidently and effectively express themselves—will continue to live on in the hearts of participants until the next edition and beyond.

Perhaps by the next edition, some participants, such as 11‑year‑old Tiwatope Oloye, author of One Picture, Many Colours, may have written their own books. Some may even be writing their second or third.

In embracing the advice of nine‑year‑old Oluwatoke Aduradola, a new generation of young writers may be documenting Nigerian stories, one children’s picture storybook at a time.