SFAL 2026: African And Arab Intellectuals Weigh Impact Of Self-Identity On Storytelling Traditions

The power of literature to build cultural bridges and address issues of self-identity and belonging were explored by leading African and Arab writers and intellectuals on the opening day of the second edition of the Sharjah Festival of African Literature (SFAL 2026).

In a special in-conversation session, Tsitsi Dangarembga, an influential novelist from Zimbabwe, praised the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) for organising SFAL as a much-needed space for dialogue and knowledge exchange.

Dangarembga, who received SFAL’s Sharjah Lifetime Achievement in Literature Award at SFAL 2026 on Wednesday, said: “I think this bridge, this festival, is absolutely important because in order to bring about change so the world can travel in a better direction, we need to communicate and find commonalities.”

She added: “With the festival, we understand there are forms of knowledge that can be applied and lead to a better way of doing things as human beings. I think these connections are absolutely vital.”

When asked by session moderator Abdul Karim Hanif to reflect on her accolades, with the latest being the  Sharjah Lifetime Achievement in Literature Award, Dangaremba said the true value of the award is the acknowledgement that her work is connecting her with readers from different cultures.

“I’ve been to Sharjah now and had a wonderful conversation with Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA – that will be with me forever. The goal of sharing something that has touched other people has been achieved, and that is what is really important to me. Meeting different people at events, those kinds of connections is what I really love about the whole concept of this festival in Sharjah.”

Dangaremba also shared insights about her globally-acclaimed Tambudzai Trilogy comprising Nervous Conditions (1988), The Book of Not (2006) and This Mournable Body (2018). The last in the series was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2020. The trilogy follows the journey of Tambudzai from a young girl belonging to a poor rural family to an adult facing internal struggles and external setbacks in post-colonial urban Zimbabwe.

“Tambudzai has the same conflicts as many of us; this issue of belonging is something that returns again and again in different ways. As the world becomes more mobile, this question of belonging is going to stay with us,” she said.

Land and literature: exploring the impact of geography on storytelling

Also on the opening day of SFAL 2026, a panel discussion on “Sand, Sea, and Storytelling” explored how natural environments have influenced African and Emirati storytelling traditions. Moderator Alya Al Mansouri asked the panellists – Emirati novelist Ali Al Shaali and Zanzibar-based historian Dr. Saada Omar Wahab – about the role local geography plays in shaping narratives emerging from that land.

Al Shaali said the rapid urbanization in the UAE reflects in a number of his works, contrasting the village and city life in some of the portrayals. “We talk about each element of this transformation with pride. I have a holiday home in the eastern region and my relationship with nature has changed; I’m deeply appreciative of it,” he added.

The UAE author pointed out that “we are all prisoners of time and place” and no literature can truly escape the context of where it was composed. “Nothing happens in a vacuum; the narrator or writer or voice from within has to pass through these elements of time and place.”

Dr. Wahab alluded to a similar concept, saying Zanzibar’s location in the Indian Ocean near Africa brought people from various backgrounds – early African migrations, Arab traders, European settlers – in one place, creating a unique culture. She explained this confluence of heritages is the reason why Swahili oral storytelling traditions often feature “heroes of Africa” as well as “travellers from the Middle East”.

Under the theme “The African Way”, SFAL 2026 is being held from January 14 to 18 at University City Hall Square, Sharjah. Featuring thought-provoking discussions, immersive workshops, colourful folk performances and cuisines from various regions of Africa, the festival is strengthening cultural exchange between Africa and the Arab World.