Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Image Credit: flam.ma
Marrakech will host the 4th edition of the African Book Festival of Marrakech (FLAM) from April 23 to 25, 2026. Under the theme “Imagining Other Possibilities”, this year’s edition places imagination at the heart of thought, resistance, and transformation.
In a world shaped by rapid change and deep crises, FLAM 2026 highlights the essential role of literature, poetry, and art in questioning the present and envisioning new futures. The festival celebrates imagination as a space where reality is no longer a limitation, but a starting point for debate, creativity, and collective hope.
A Pan-African Literary Gathering
Since its creation, FLAM has aimed to strengthen connections between African countries and their diasporas. Born from the need for a major pan-African literary event, the festival has grown into an international platform where reflection, joy, and intellectual audacity converge.
The festival offers a space where African voices revisit memory, confront historical wounds, and imagine desirable futures, from the Global South and from Marrakech, a crossroads of languages and cultures.
Major Guests: The 2026 Headliners
This edition features a prestigious lineup representing Francophone, Arabophone, and Anglophone literary spaces.
| Role | Guest of Honor | Key Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Lecture | Yanick Lahens (Haiti) | Grand Prix de l’Académie Française 2025 |
| Grand Witness | Patrick Chamoiseau (Martinique) | Prix Goncourt Laureate |
Confirmed authors include: Alain Mabanckou, Daniel Maximin, Chigozie Obioma, Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, Boris Boubacar Diop, Iman Mersal, David Diop, Driss Ksikes, Hajar Azell, and Lola Shoneyin.
Commitment to Youth & Community
FLAM 2026 reinforces its commitment to young readers through several key initiatives:
- “Les Veilleurs d’Histoires”: A temporary youth-focused bookstore to encourage access to inspiring authors.
- Literary Outreach: Storytelling sessions for children at the CHU of Marrakech (Mother and Child Hospital), promoting literature as a tool for resilience.
Prestigious Venues Across Marrakech
The festival’s central heartbeat will be Les Étoiles de Jamaâ el-Fna in the medina. This hub is supported by a “constellation” of locations reflecting FLAM’s civic anchoring:
- UM6P Benguerir & Cadi Ayyad University
- Palace Es-Saâdi
- Meydene Cultural Center (M Avenue)
- Various schools, high schools, and cultural institutions
A Literary Agora for the World
More than a book festival, FLAM is a celebration of African literatures as part of a global landscape. Through readings, debates, poetry sessions, and musical evenings, it builds bridges across generations and territories. For more details, visit: flam.ma
