Tanzania: Zanzibar's First Lady Jets Off for the Festival of African Literature in the UAE

14 January 2026
Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
By Esther Takwa

UAE — Zanzibar's First Lady and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF), Maryam H. Mwinyi, has flown to the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah City, to participate as the Guest of Honour at the Second Sharjah Festival of African Literature and Arts 2026 (SFAL).

Mama Maryam Mwinyi's participation in the festival is part of efforts to develop and promote Zanzibar internationally in the fields of arts, literature and culture, as well as to strengthen the Isle's position on global platforms that address creativity and Africa's cultural heritage.

Through the participation, Zanzibar gains an opportunity to showcase its culture, traditions, customs, language, arts and literature, while also learning from the experiences of other countries in promoting the cultural sector as a tool for social and economic development.

While there, the First Lady is expected to take part in various festival activities, including literary and cultural discussions, art exhibitions, and meetings with international stakeholders aimed at strengthening cooperation in the arts and cultural sectors.

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The SFAL Festival is an important platform that brings together writers, artists, designers and cultural stakeholders from various African countries, with the aim of celebrating, preserving and promoting African literature and works of art, while also providing them with opportunities for international recognition.

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the second edition of the Sharjah Festival of African Literature (SFAL) running from the 14th to 18th of January is under the theme "The African Way".

The festival brings together 20 African writers and 9 Emirati authors in a programme dedicated to celebrating African literature, exploring its narrative transformations and contemporary trends and strengthening cultural and knowledge exchange between Africa and the Arab world.

The five-day festival presents a rich and varied programme that includes 20 panel and discussion sessions examining the present and future of African literature, five poetry evenings, 20 workshops for children and 10 live cookery sessions.

Designed as a cultural destination for all members of the family, the festival offers audiences an immersive opportunity to engage with the depth and diversity of African culture across its many dimensions.

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