RTI Lit Fest 2026: Read to Impact Announces Free Literary Festival Across Four Cities

 

Read to Impact (RTI) will host the inaugural RTI Lit Fest from September 26 to October 11, 2026, bringing free literary programming to Jos and Lagos in Nigeria, Juba in South Sudan, and Buea in Cameroon.

For its 2026 edition, organisers renamed the annual distributed festival RTI Lit Fest, which was previously called Readers’ Meetup. The festival will take place under the theme “Scripted: where the books we read meet the lives we live.”

Rather than holding one central festival, RTI Lit Fest will run as four locally organised chapters, with each city exploring the theme through its own literary programme.

 

RTI Lit Fest 2026 Programme

Jos: Literature and Peace

The festival opens in Jos on Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 a.m. at Jarding Reading Garden.

The chapter, themed “Literature and Peace,” will feature writers whose work engages with life in Jos, alongside a spoken-word performance by Joe Exalt.

The organisers will livestream the Jos chapter, enabling audiences outside the city to join in.

 

Lagos: Ambition, Hustle and Love

The Lagos chapter takes place on Saturday, October 3, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at RovingHeights, Landmark Event Centre, Oniru.

The programme, titled “Ambition, Hustle and Love,” will feature novelists Ebere Joy Ekekwe, author of Lagos Sugar Baby; Obase-Sam Ikoi, author of The Comedian’s Diary; and Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, author of Believers and Hustlers.

The writers will discuss ambition, relationships and the pressures of life in a constantly moving city.

 

Juba: Resilience: Stories That Shape Us

In Juba, South Sudan, the festival will take place on Saturday, October 3, at 2:00 p.m. at Scenius Hub.

The chapter, “Resilience: Stories That Shape Us,” will use small-group roundtables rather than traditional panel discussions.

South Sudanese authors including Akol Arop Jr., Libby Gai and Mooch Simon will anchor the conversations.

 

Buea: Mental Health and Literature

The final chapter will take place in Buea, Cameroon, on Sunday, October 11, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Book Haven Library.

The programme, “Mental Health and Literature,” will feature a keynote by Mme Nguty Stella Etoh-Nombo, a session with clinical psychologist Dr Daniela Nkemta, guided journaling and a formal debate.

 

Free Entry for the RTI Lit Fest

Entry is free at all four chapters.

The festival reflects Read to Impact’s approach to creating literary spaces that connect books with conversations about communities, identity, relationships, resilience, and everyday life.

According to Israel Peters, Creative Director of Read to Impact, the distributed format allows each city to interpret the festival theme through its own local context.

Read to Impact has organised the annual festival as Readers’ Meetup since 2023, reaching 13 cities across eight countries. The 2026 edition marks the first time they will hold the event under the name RTI Lit Fest.

 

How to Attend the RTI Lit Fest

The festival is open to audiences at no cost. Details about the individual chapter programmes, registration and the Jos livestream are available on the official [RTI Lit Fest page]

For readers and writers interested in literary opportunities, Creative Writing News also offers 10 Tips on How to Apply for Writing Contests.

 

About Read to Impact

Read to Impact (RTI) is a Pan-African literary community with more than 2,300 readers across 30+ countries. Operating under Gemspread Limited, an independent Nigerian literary enterprise, RTI promotes reading and literary community-building across Africa and beyond.

For media enquiries, contact info@readtoimpact.org or +234 813 005 9158 (WhatsApp).