PEN Nigeria has concluded plans to join over 100 countries across the world to celebrate this year’s World Book Day on March 4, a day set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to celebrate authors, illustrators, books and reading, as well as to encourage young people to experience the power and pleasure of literature.
According to the President, Nigerian Centre of PEN International, Folu Agoi, on the day, PEN Nigeria will hold an event with students of Air Force Primary Schools 1, 2, 3 and Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos. The highlights of the event include the delivery of an award to teenage authors, book donations to all the schools and mentoring talks.
World Book Day is a global assembly of children of all ages across the world who come together to celebrate books and literature. It is a day to launch and/or reactivate book clubs, to offer free books, including audio books, to children, a special day to share stories, experiences and books with children, to inspire the youth to share their own stories with one another, a day to reward excellence with prizes.
PEN Nigeria has been an affiliate of PEN International since 2001. A worldwide association of writers founded in London in 1921, PEN International is known to play a leading role in promoting literature as a force of global culture and defending free speech and linguistic rights across the world. Membership of the association is open to all writers in Nigeria. The term ‘writer’ is used by PEN International as an all-inclusive term for anyone involved with the word – written or spoken, who could be a poet, playwright, editor, essayist, novelist, academic, journalist, blogger, translator, biographer or publisher.
This year we celebrate PEN International Centenary, 100 years of celebrating literature and protecting freedom of expression. The Centenary is a celebration of PEN’s 100 years. Bringing together PEN Centres, members, partners, writers, readers and activists for a unique programme of events, campaigns and activities across residencies and workshops globally, the Centenary is a celebration of PEN ’s unfinished story.
Warm regards,
Folu Agoi
President, Nigerian Centre of PEN International (aka PEN Nigeria)
