Dakar opens its book fair on October 15 under the theme "Transmission, Library and Sovereignty"

The 18th Dakar International Book and Educational Material Fair (FILDAK) opens on Thursday, October 15, 2026, and runs until October 19, under the slogan "Dakar, the beating heart of the book," reports the Senegalese daily Le Soleil. Its theme, "Transmission, Library and Sovereignty," places the issue of books on political ground.

The event is not limited to the capital: meetings are also scheduled in Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thiès, and Ziguinchor, for a total of five cities.

"Thinking for ourselves"

In an interview with the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) on October 12, 2026, writer and literary critic Abdoulaye Racine Senghor defended the idea that the book is an instrument of sovereignty. "If we want to be sovereign, we must think for ourselves," he told the APS.

He makes literacy in the country's languages an "absolute priority," believing that there is a need for "people who know how to read and write in national languages." Regarding the book industry itself, he warns against amateurism: "Publishing must be rigorous. It is not a game." Finally, he expresses concern about writing produced by artificial intelligence, where "it is no longer a sensitive human soul that is writing," and reminds us that the demand for books depends first and foremost on trained readers.

A calendar that summons the great Senegalese voices

Surrounding the fair, the Dakar cultural program extends until December, according to Le Soleil. Bassist Alune Wade will present his seventh solo album, "Family Affair," on October 16, and Orchestra Baobab will present their record "Made in Senegal" on October 20. The Women's Book Fair will be held from October 22 to 24, with Ivorian writer Véronique Tadjo among the guests and Mali as the guest of honor.

This will be followed by an international symposium dedicated to Boubacar Boris Diop at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, from October 26 to 28; another on Cheikh Anta Diop in Tambacounda, from December 9 to 11; and a symposium in Dakar from December 17 to 20 for the 120th anniversary of the birth of Léopold Sédar Senghor.

The fair opens in a country that has just lost one of its greatest voices: Cheikh Hamidou Kane, author of "Ambiguous Adventure" published in 1961, died at age 98 in early October 2026, notes Le Soleil. This novel, which precisely questions what a people keeps and what it loses when opening up to schools from elsewhere, summarizes the theme chosen this year better than any slogan. After his first book, the writer remained discreet, only publishing "The Guardians of the Temple" in 1995, which had less of an impact.