The 2015 Storymoja Festival will most definitely transform Nairobi into a hub of creative activity, fun and book magic for the 8th year in a row. This year, the festival moves to a new venue; the picturesque Nairobi Arboretum.

The 2014 Storymoja Festival held at the Nairobi National Museum brought together renowned Kenyan and international narrators, writers, poets and creatives. They gathered to imagine a world, and beyond that to create a space that, through critical expression and interaction, could not only tell our every story, but also challenge us to strive towards improving our world. 

Think of it as a creative mini-holiday where you come off feeling enlightened, inspired and rejuvenated. Imagine five days of book conversations, art exhibitions, political and societal debates, theatre shows, film screening, music concerts, and poetry alongside slightly more formal creative masterclasses. And all this in the beautiful sunny Nairobi surrounded by 30 hectares of greenery located along State House Road in the area of Kilimani.

Confirmed participants so far are authors Michela Wrong of ‘It's Our Turn To Eat’ fame, Germany based scholar and author Dominic Otiang'a, Ivor Agyeman- Duah and Promise Ogechukwu of the Lumina Foundation which administers the Wole Soyinka Prize, dancer and educator Joan Ball Burgess, poets Afetsi Awoonor and Beverly Nambozo, Creative Entrepreneurs Brian Banda and Joyce Mbaya-Ikiao; the list of writers and creatives participating is growing and updates on participants and the event program are being posted on storymojafestival.com.

Why not mark the dates – September 16th to 20th, 2015 and plan to make Nairobi and the Storymoja Festival your home for 5 of what will no doubt be beautiful days that will leave you with special and happy memories?

-Juliet Maruru