Name: African Book Festival Berlin 2026
Start: 2026-05-29T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-31T00:00:00+00:00
Location: TAK — Theater im Aufbau Haus

African Book Festival

About African Book Festival

Since 2018, the African Book Festival Berlin has brought together authors from African countries and the Black diaspora every year for a three-day literary festival in Kreuzberg. Organized by the non-profit association InterKontinental e.V., it alternates between readings, book premieres, panels, workshops, musical contributions, and an open-air market with books and African cuisine. According to the organizers, the 2026 edition will be curated together with the audience for the first time.

Dates 29 May — 31 May 2026

Venue Berlin (11000)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

African Book Festival — edition 2026

The African Book Festival Berlin 2026 will be curated together with the audience for the first time, according to the organizers. From May 29 to 31, 2026, authors, artists, and readers will gather at TAK — Theater im Aufbau Haus on Moritzplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

In 2026, InterKontinental e.V. is adopting a participatory curatorial approach: voices from the audience, bookstores, and diaspora communities will be involved in shaping the program. Three days of readings, book premieres, workshops, discussions, music, and theater performances, as well as an open-air market with African cuisine and handicrafts. Tickets via Fyneevent, details on africanbookfestival.de.

Highlights African Book Festival 2026

First edition curated participatively with the audience
Three days of readings, panels, and workshops at TAK Theater
Open-air market with books, African cuisine, and handicrafts
In the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg at Moritzplatz

Programme African Book Festival 2026

The African Book Festival Berlin 2026 will take place from May 29 to 31, 2026 at TAK — Theater im Aufbau Haus, Prinzenstraße 85 F, 10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg. This year's edition will be curated together with the audience for the first time, according to InterKontinental e.V. – the exact program structure, list of authors, and thematic strands will be published in the weeks before the festival begins on africanbookfestival.de and via newsletters.

Program Formats (typical according to organizers)

Readings and Book Presentations – established and new voices of African and Afro-diasporic literature, often in the original English with German translation
Panels and Discussions – moderated conversations on topics such as colonial legacies, migration, identity, language, and diaspora politics
Workshops – interactive formats for aspiring writers and for diaspora communities
Theater and Musical Contributions – performance program in the TAK theater
Art Exhibitions – visual contributions in the foyer areas
Open-Air Market – books, African cuisine, handicrafts on Moritzplatz

Previous festival themes have revolved around identity, postcolonialism, resistance, and love. The African Book Festival is considered the most important platform for African and Black literature in the German-speaking world.

Prices African Book Festival 2026

Tickets are available via the Fyneevent platform and at africanbookfestival.de. Day passes and 3-day festival passes are usually offered. Market and outdoor areas are generally freely accessible. Detailed prices will be released with the program.

Practical information

Practical information — African Book Festival

Getting There

U-Bahn U8 to Moritzplatz — directly in front of the entrance. Moritzplatz bus stop (lines 140, M29). The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district is easily accessible by bicycle.

Tickets

Tickets are available via the Fyneevent platform and at africanbookfestival.de. Day passes and festival passes are usually offered – a portion of the events (market, outdoor areas) is freely accessible.

Berlin's Platform for African and Black Literature

Anyone browsing Berlin's bookstores knows the need: contemporary African literature is structurally underrepresented in Germany; even classics like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, or NoViolet Bulawayo often take years to be distributed in Germany. The African Book Festival Berlin has been filling this gap since 2018 – as an annual festival founded by the non-profit association InterKontinental e.V. At TAK — Theater im Aufbau Haus on Moritzplatz in Kreuzberg, the German-speaking African and Afro-diasporic literary scene meets international guests over three days.

What Makes the Festival Special

The program covers a wide range: readings with established and new voices, book presentations, moderated panels on colonial legacies, migration, identity, and language, interactive workshops, theater performances, musical contributions, and art exhibitions. Accompanying this, an open-air market with book stalls, African cuisine, and handicrafts takes place on Moritzplatz. The curatorial focuses of past editions have revolved around identity, postcolonialism, resistance, and love.

InterKontinental and Moritzplatz

InterKontinental e.V. is the organizing structure, a Berlin-based association dedicated to promoting African literature in Germany – in addition to the festival, it runs a bookstore specializing in African literature. The Aufbau Haus complex on Moritzplatz in Kreuzberg (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district) is considered one of the liveliest cultural hubs in southern Berlin: the TAK theater, a Modulor stationery store, co-working spaces, and small galleries share the building. The festival utilizes the entire ground floor cluster for its three days.