Africa’s literary giant Wole Soyinka for KIFF

Renown African literature expert, film writer, poet and playwright Prof Wole Soyinka is set to grace this year’s Kenya International Film Festival that will take place between October 21 -31.

Soyinka will be joined by Idrissa Ouedraogo, a well-known film director from Burkina Faso as jury member at KIFF 2011. Ouedraogo is a graduate of the Institut Africain d’Etudes Cinématographiques (African Institute for Cinema Studies) in Ouagadougou and has directed various short films.

Soyinka, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, has written 21 plays, two novels, five memoirs, 10 poetry collections, six essays and three movies. His visit to Kenya has been made possible by the Nigerian Film and Video Censorship Board. The literary giant will also be accompanied by several Nigerian film producers who submitted their films for viewing at the KIFF.

In keeping with KIFF’s tradition, Soyinka is expected to also facilitate a forum for literature scholars in Nairobi. During the forum, film dons, filmmakers and lecturers will interact and with the insight of the Professor forge the way forward on film syllabus and curriculum in Kenyan universities and colleges.

Festival director Charles Asiba said: “We are delighted to have a personality of the stature of Prof Wole Soyinka, who is an authoritative figure in the African film industry to come and grace us with his presence. We are also excited with the fact that KIFF is going to be used as platform for Prof Soyinka to educate the young literature scholars in Kenya.”

The film festival, with the slogan ' A Film A Day For The Calendar
Year',  will screen 365 films in five towns concurrently. These are
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret. In this regard, KIFF has partnered
with Moi University, Egerton University, Masinde Muliro University and Alliance
Francaise who will provide their screening halls to be used for the viewing
sessions.