LitFest Harare 2025 Set to Ignite the Stage under the Theme “Lebeleka Takawilila – The Languages and Legacies of Art”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 13 November 2025
LitFest Harare 2025 Set to Ignite the Stage under the Theme “Lebeleka Takawilila – The Languages and Legacies of Art”
Harare, Zimbabwe – The countdown has begun to one of Africa’s most anticipated literary gatherings — the LitFest Harare International Literature Festival, which runs from 26 to 29 November 2025.
Now in its 12th edition, LitFest Harare continues to cement its place as a dynamic space for literary and artistic expression, dialogue, and cross-cultural exchanges. This year’s festival will host over 80 participants — writers, poets, artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners — representing more than 8 countries, including Botswana, Lesotho, Sweden, Malawi, UK, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, among others.
The 2025 theme, “Lebeleka Takawilila – The Languages and Legacies of Art,” invites participants and audiences alike to reflect on how art in all its forms speaks across generations, languages, and cultures. The Kalanga-inspired theme, meaning “Speak, we are listening”, celebrates the enduring power of creative expression to build bridges, preserve memory, and shape identity in a rapidly evolving world.
Festival Director Chirikure Chirikure said the theme embodies the spirit of artistic continuity and cultural resonance that LitFest stands for:
“Lebeleka Takawilila” is a call to listen — to the voices of our ancestors, to the rhythms of our present, and to the echoes that will carry our stories into the future. This year’s festival is not only a celebration of literature but a tribute to the many languages through which art speaks and the legacies it leaves behind.”
Attendees can look forward to an inspiring lineup of readings, panel discussions, workshops, performances, and community engagements. Activities will be spread across key cultural venues in Harare with Alliance Francaise and Theatre in the Park as the main focal points.
Festival highlights include an opening evening reception, a theatrical production of the classic novel and “O” Level setbook, “Tambaoga Mwanangu”, an evening of poetic intersections, a silent reading hour and book swap, a visual poetry exhibition, poetry slam, as well as a closing concert in partnership with SoFar Sounds Harare, which celebrates African unity, to be held at a surprise location.
As the festival approaches, excitement is building up both locally and internationally for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of literary and artistic heritage.
Join the conversation. Celebrate the language and legacy of art. LitFest Harare 2025 – Lebeleka Takawilila (Speak, We Are Listening)!
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