Following an open call for event proposals from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic artists and writers in February 2020, we are delighted to present six events as part of our Compass strand.

Say It Aloud - We're Irish! is a fresh and vibrant spoken word event, which explores perspectives on what it means to be Irish today. Featuring a new work inspired by Ola Majekodunmi’s viral video-documentary, What Does “Irishness” Look Like?, the event also includes readings of poems and a discussion. 

Beyond Representation was founded in 2019 by three Irish women of Nigerian heritage to champion women of colour who are breaking new grounds in Irish media, arts and business. Jess Majekodunmi is a design historian and an innovation designer at Accenture. Ola Majekodunmi is an Irish language broadcaster, public speaker and film-maker. Zainab Boladale is an RTÉ journalist and TV presenter.

Lorde Fuhl is a Dublin based wordsmith, using songs, stories, and poems, most of which are scenario shorts. She is an aspiring romance novelist, and I write dystopian bite sized stories on nerosaintpresents.wordpress.com. 

Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi is a Lagos-born, Galway-bred and Dublin-based writer, performer, arts facilitator, and literary editor. She was the 2019 recipient of the Poetry Ireland Access Cúirt Bursary. 

Kayssie Kandiwa is a poet and singer-songwriter whose work blends her Zimbabwean cultural heritage and her Irish upbringing and intertwines Southern-African myths and local languages and forms.

Presented with support from Axis Ballymun.

The Gutter Bookshop is sad they can’t be at the festival in person this year but you can browse (and purchase!) books by the featured authors at the special ILFDublin festival shop - CLICK HERE. And remember that there’s no postage to pay in Ireland if you spend over €30 or if you choose to collect your books from either of our bookshops. Just choose the ‘Free Shipping’ or ‘Click & Collect’ options at checkout!