Pan-African visions of Black solidarity have been historically rooted in the collective memory of literature and culture. The values and practices connecting continental Africa and the wider Black diaspora, surviving through shared historical upheavals, have often been espoused in literary and cultural production, mediating conversations across time, geography, class, and gender.

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As the uneven distribution of the benefits and burdens of globalization continues to have a disproportionately negative effect on Black communities worldwide, the need and promise of pan-diasporic cooperation become even more relevant. By promoting collective action and collaboration, Black solidarity continues to hold potential for the empowerment of people of African descent and ultimately for a more equitable and inclusive global community.

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The New York Black and African Literature Festival contributes to this work by bringing the collective consciousness of continental and diasporic communities into communication with each other, revisiting and reimagining what progress looks like in the dialectic spirit of Sankofa.

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The festival holds space for writers, poets, thinkers, artists, and activists in the psycho-geographic site of the Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement to reflect, collaborate, and expand existing networks of cultural production and distribution. Its activities include panel discussions, readings, workshops, performances, community programs, and a bookfair and creative economy marketplace, drawing guests from across Africa and the global Black diaspora. Its objectives remain to build bridges between communities, amplify movements for justice, create new frameworks for understanding our shared challenges and aspirations, and strengthen networks of support and exchange.

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The inaugural edition was held September 5 to 7, 2025, at The Africa Center and venues across Harlem, under the theme Radical Solidarity. The second edition takes place September 18 to 20, 2026, under the theme The Village in the Book: Literature and the Near.

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The New York Black and African Literature Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Harlem, New York. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

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Efe Paul-Azino

Festival Director