Festival Guests

Author and Publishers

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Amarachukwu is a Nigerian children’s book author, editor, publisher, and literacy advocate. She is the founder of Purple Shelves Literary Services and creator of the #ReadIgboChallenge, which promotes reading in indigenous languages among children. Through her literacy initiatives, she has helped deliver books to more than 1,000 children in underserved communities across Nigeria. An award-winning publishing professional and recipient of the Richard S. Holden Diversity Fellowship from ACES, Amarachukwu is passionate about using books to inspire young readers and strengthen literacy across Africa. Her children’s books have received recognition, including shortlisting for the 2026 Akada Children’s Book Festival.

speaker

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Ayaz Shah is a Danish author of mixed Danish and Pashtun heritage whose writing explores identity, culture, migration, and the complexity of belonging. He made his literary debut with La Victoria (Wadskjær Forlag, 2024), a novel written in Danish and inspired by Latin American magical realism. The novel has been adapted for the stage by Barry McKenna and premiered at H2O in Copenhagen, with international rights acquired by Smartlines (Ghana) and Purple Shelves (Nigeria).

His second novel, De fremmede (The Strangers), was published by Forlaget Noor in 2026. His short fiction has also appeared in the literary magazine Kahf.

At Umurage International Book & Art Festival, Ayaz will share insights on writing across cultures and languages, creating stories that move beyond stereotypes, and the journey of transforming fiction from page to stage. He will also explore the expectations writers from minority backgrounds often face and the importance of protecting creative freedom while telling authentic stories.

Author and Educator

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Dr. Ebidenyefa Tarila-Nikade, fondly known as Funky Doc, is a Nigerian author, scholar, educator, and literacy advocate. She is the founder of Creative Xpressions International and Programme Director of Spelling Bee Bayelsa, a literacy initiative that has inspired young people for over a decade. A prolific writer with more than ten published titles across poetry, prose, and drama, her work has earned literary recognition and is studied in universities across Nigeria. Dr. Ebidenyefa also serves through education, communication, and humanitarian initiatives, including women’s literacy and community development. She holds a PhD in English and Communication art, specialising in pragmatics and discourse analysis

Actor and Writer

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Kelvin Mary Ndukwe is a Nigerian actor, writer and theatre and film creative whose work spans stage and screen. He has featured in a range of Nigerian productions and has also developed his voice as a playwright, with his work recognised through the Beeta Playwright Competition. His creative practice reflects a commitment to storytelling and the development of Nigeria’s performing arts

Educator and Folklorist

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D. Othniel Forte is a Liberian educator, author, folklorist, and publisher whose work is deeply rooted in Liberia’s literary heritage, oral traditions, folklore, and cultural history. He is the author of several books, including Famous Liberian Folklore, 6 For A Dozen, A Liberian Christmas, and Proverbs from Liberia. Through his writing and publishing, Forte has contributed to preserving and sharing Liberian stories, traditions, and cultural values with new generations. He also teaches Creative Writing and English as a Second Language and works with emerging African writers through Forte Publications.

Award Winning Author

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Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmor is an award-winning Nigerian author whose work spans novels, short stories, young adult fiction, plays, and children’s literature. Her novel See Morocco See Spain won the Chinua Achebe Prize for Literature in 2025, while If They Tell the Story received the Association of Nigerian Authors Prize for Prose Fiction in 2022. Her acclaimed body of work also includes A Father’s Pride, a finalist for the 2024 Nigeria Prize for Literature, and One Little Mosquito, winner of the ANA Prize for Children’s Literature. Through compelling storytelling, Chiazor-Enenmor explores urgent social issues, culture, identity, and the human experience.

Novelist and Poet

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Godson Osarenren is a Nigerian novelist and poet whose debut poetry collection, Bush Radio, brings together 100 poems written over two decades. Described as “Written Pictures,” the collection explores five interconnected themes: politics, love, philosophy, spirituality, and African identity. Drawing inspiration from nature, everyday life, Nigerian society, and African history, Osarenren examines the realities of contemporary African life with honesty, rhythm, humour, and emotional depth. His poetry addresses governance, migration, love, grief, faith, womanhood, mortality, environmental consciousness, and cultural identity. Written across English, French, Bini, Nigerian Pidgin and other Nigerian languages, Bush Radio celebrates the complexity and resilience of African experience.

Poet, Publisher and Cultural Visionary

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Servio Gbadamosi is an award-winning Nigerian poet, publisher, and cultural visionary whose work draws on Yorùbá cosmology, African spirituality, and cultural memory. His acclaimed poetry collections include A Tributary in Servitude, winner of the 2015 Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize, Where the Light Enters You, and his latest collection, Entropy (2026). He is the founder of Noirledge Publishing and the Sankofa Initiative for Culture and Development, through which he leads several influential literary and cultural platforms, including the Ìbàdàn Book and Arts Festival. Gbadamosi continues to champion African literature, underrepresented voices, and conversations on identity, culture, and the future of Africa’s creative industries.