DR ‹ › Under the theme «Imagining Other Possibilities», the fourth edition of the African Book Festival of Marrakech (FLAM) is set to take place from April 23 to 25, 2026, in the ochre city. This year, the spotlight is on «imagination as a force of thought, resistance, and transformation». The organizers emphasize in a press release that «in a world marked by profound crises and rapid changes, FLAM underscores the vital role of art, poetry, and literature in questioning the present, dismantling barriers, and opening new horizons». With the participation of authors and thinkers from across Africa and its diasporas, the festival is a celebration of «plurality, justice, creativity, and a clear-eyed optimism». Through a series of meetings, conversations, readings, and workshops, the event aims to create a lasting platform for «dialogues between generations, languages, territories, and disciplines». This edition reaffirms a core belief: «literature is not just a reflection of reality, but a catalyst for collective transformation». In a bid to be inclusive, the pop-up bookstore «Les Veilleurs d'histoires» will be accessible to young people. This year, the festival's inaugural lecture will be delivered by Yanick Lahens from Haiti, the 2025 Grand Prize winner of the Académie française. Additionally, the Grand Witness section will feature Patrick Chamoiseau from Martinique, who won the Prix Goncourt in 1992. Beyond the main festival venue at Les Etoiles de Jamaâ el-Fna, the festival's influence will extend to UM6P in Benguerir, Cadi Ayyad University, the Boarding House for the Education of Rural Girls, as well as various high schools and major institutions, the Mother and Child Hospital of the Marrakech University Hospital, and not to forget the Es-Saâdi Palace and the Interactive Cultural Center Meydene (M Avenue). Amidst a «continental and global context marked by concerning fractures», the festival is committed to «structure, openness, and rigor». More than ever, it aims to provide «a vibrant space for meetings, debates, and reflection» with a Pan-African and universal dimension.
