The Lagos International Poetry Festival, founded by Efe Paul Azino in 2025, has brought together some of the biggest writers, poets, thinkers, artists and public intellectuals to Lagos for four days of readings, performances, workshops, panel discussions, and a celebration of creativity, establishing itself as one the continent’s key cultural highlights. 

The festival is invested in sustaining an inclusive space for the free exchange of ideas and a platform for connecting poets, writers, and artists to new audiences and practices. “The grant has allowed us to scale our initiatives, reach a wider audience and provide more extensive support to our artists. It enabled us to institute the biggest poetry slam competition on the continent, discovering and rewarding some of the most promising performance poetry talent; offer more comprehensive workshops and school programmes, and facilitate more international collaborations.”