AFRICAN BOOK TOUR 2026

Under the motto “5 Countries. 5 Voices. 5 Stories,” the series focuses on the five major regions of the continent—North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, and South Africa—and dedicates a separate reading event to each region.

The guests are authors of African descent who live in Germany and have written a book available in German. In addition to the authors’ own books, the moderated readings will also explore the storytelling traditions of their respective African regions. Furthermore, the authors will offer insights into contemporary voices, classics, and books that are particularly close to their hearts.

A love story from Sudan – a family novel from Nigeria – a memoir from the Congo

“The literary scene of the African continent is largely unknown to us. A love story from Mali? A thriller from Nigeria? Or a fantasy novel from Botswana? All of these exist, but they are books that are hard to find in bookstores or that catch our eye first in the library. A glaring omission! That has to change,” says Georgina Fakunmoju, founder of the African Book Tour. As a journalist, presenter, and host of her podcast “Readers Gonna Read,” she has been discussing predominantly non-white literature from Germany, Africa, and the African diaspora since 2021. “Africa consists of 54 countries. Yet despite more than 2,000 languages, more than 3,000 ethnic groups, an immensely diverse geography, and a wide variety of cultures, the same images always come to mind when we think of the African continent: hunger, poverty, war. This reading series is an invitation to broaden our horizons and, together with the authors, immerse ourselves in the literary diversity of Africa,” says Fakunmoju, who will host the series.

The authors and their books: 5 countries. 5 voices. 5 stories.

North Africa / Sudan: Fatin Abbas, Zeit der Geister (Rowohlt Verlag)

Fatin Abbas was born in Khartoum in 1981 and lives in Berlin. She fled to the U.S. with her family in 1990 because her father was politically persecuted in Sudan; she studied literature at Cambridge and Harvard, among other places. Her novel “Zeit der Geister” (2024) tells the story of a South Sudanese man and a nomad who fight for their love amid the civil war.

Central Africa / Congo: Nadège Kusanika, Under the Same Sun (Aufbau Verlag) Nadège Kusanika was born in 1988 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to Germany

15. She studied law at the University of Würzburg. In her debut, “Unter derselben Sonne,” Kusanika writes about her happy childhood in the Congo, but also about the war and the difficult transition to life in Europe.

West Africa / Nigeria: Bunye Ngene, When the Clouds Were Still Sweet (Books on Demand) Bunye Ngene was born in 1985 and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. After earning his bachelor’s degree in German Studies at the University of Ibadan, he moved to Germany and completed a master’s degree in German as a Foreign Language at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Ngene’s second novel, “Als die Wolken noch süß waren,” tells the story of a young man in Nigeria who learns of his grandmother’s death in Starnberg, Bavaria, and sets out to come to terms with the German part of his family history.

East Africa / Rwanda: Tete Loeper, Shut Up and Hide! (Orlanda Verlag)

Tete Loeper was born in Rwanda in 1990. She fled into exile in Burundi during the genocide against the Tutsi. In Rwanda, she worked on research projects involving at-risk girls and young women, among other things. She has lived in Germany since 2016 and works as an author, actress, and educational consultant for intercultural exchange and global learning. Her book “Shut Up and Hide! – Memoirs of a Survivor in Rwanda” tells, from a child’s perspective, what it means when war and flight bring an end to a carefree childhood.

South Africa / South Africa: Niq Mhlongo, Way Back Home (AfrikAWunderhorn)

Niq Mhlongo, born in 1973 in Soweto, South Africa, is a journalist and writer. He studied African literature and political science at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. His third novel, “Way Back Home,” tells the story of a businessman who returns to Johannesburg from Angola after the end of apartheid. There he leads a life of luxury with expensive cars, alcohol, and designer clothes—but the era of armed struggle has left its mark.

AFRICAN BOOK TOUR 2026: Dates and Locations

The five readings will take place free of charge, open to the public, and with barrier-free access at five different public libraries throughout Berlin. Following each reading, there will be time to engage in conversation with the authors. Additionally, the InterKontinental bookstore, organizer of the African Book Festival, will curate a book table for each reading. The reading series is sponsored by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.

• June 18, 7:00 PM Fatin Abbas I Hansa Library, Mitte ENG
• July 10, 7:00 p.m. Nadège Kusanika I Schiller Library, Wedding DE
• August 5, 7:00 p.m. Bunye Ngene I Pablo Neruda District Central Library, Friedrichshain DE
• September 16, 6:30 p.m. Tete Loeper I Ingeborg Drewitz Library, Steglitz DE
• October 6, 8:00 PM Niq Mhlongo I W. Liebknecht / N. Kemal Central Library, Kreuzberg ENG

Initiator and host of the series: Georgina Fakunmoju of “Readers Gonna Read”

Georgina Fakunmoju is a TV and radio journalist, book blogger, host, and the founder and voice of the literature podcast “Readers Gonna Read” (formerly: My PoC Bookshelf). In her podcast and as a columnist for the radio station Cosmo, she has been discussing primarily non-white literature from Germany, Africa, and the African diaspora since 2021, interviewing authors and presenting favorite books from her shelf, reading short stories, and contextualizing the literature for a German, race-conscious audience. Her guests include Tupoka Ogette, Josephine Apraku, Kübra Gümüşay, Elina Penner, and Fikri Anıl Altıntaş, among others. She is a stage host for readings, including those by Mirrianne Mahn, Dmitrij Kapitelman, and Rebekka Endler. Since March 2026, Georgina has been hosting the digital “Readers Gonna Read” book club.