The Pan African Writers Association ( PAWA) will feature in some of the events lined up to mark the 2026 UNESCO Rabat World Book Capital program.
The decision was the outcome of a meeting which took place between the Secretary General of PAWA, Dr Wale Okediran and Madam Latifat Moftaqir, the Commissioner of the Rabat World Book capital in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday, October 14 2026.
During the meeting which took place as part of preparations for the ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature by Wole Soyinka scheduled for October 16 2026 in the Moroccan capital city, both parties agreed to organize a Pan African Literary summit scheduled for Rabat in 2027.
It is on record that UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced Rabat, Morocco as the designated UNESCO World Book Capital 2026 on October 8, 2024.
The World Book Capital is the city that UNESCO designates to be the headquarters of World Book and Copyright Day activities starting April 23.
This date is the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as the birth or death of several other prominent authors.
Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capitals undertake to promote books and reading for all ages and population groups, within and across national borders, and to organize a programme of activities for the year.
The first city to be designated World Book Capital was Madrid in 2021 followed by cities on all the continents.
The cities on the African continent that have been given this designation have been Alexandria (2002), Port Harcourt (2014), Conakry (2017), and most recently Accra (2023).
The picture showes Dr Okediran making a presentation to his host during the visit
