Twenty years ago may have looked like a wishful thinking for the pessimist, but for Jahman Anikulapo and Toyin Akinosho, life is for the optimist. Lagos Book and Art Festival is on a new season at two decades worthy of books and reviews of our art and culture. Words Ireho Aito

As the book and art festival opens today inside the once colonial space of torture turned into happy environment known as Freedom Park in Lagos, the books are scattered everywhere for us to celebrate the power of literature to mould our lives and existence, the emancipation of freedom in the park cannot be measured. Arguably, LABAF is the biggest book picnic in Africa and the two gentlemen Jahman Anikulapo and Toyin Akinosho, both renowned journalists of international repute, deserve standing ovation for always making the impossible look possible.

Committee for Relevant Art [CORA] is the brain behind the festival. CORA is also the brain child of the two distinguished gentlemen. The gathering at LABAF every year has been a good avenue for education and the power of freedom to be fully established. Schools, pupils, teachers, administrators, world leaders, politicians, civil society, journalists, documentary filmmakers, historians and researchers all over the world have acknowledged LABAF’s mission and objectives.

Today, Jahman Anikulapo and Toyin Akinosho are simply world class inventors. the project started from their journalism day at the Guardian newspapers. and presently, LABAF is a vision that was germinated with one goal to eradicate educational poverty. this has been justified as the festival marks its twentieth anniversary.

Renewing the future for our future is assured will continue to play big impact in our lives. The twentieth edition runs the same activities. There is always one event to see or glance with segmentation of the festival. The Colloquium, always come with a keynote address to be delivered by the special guest. a very awesome segment and it is not advisable festival participants should miss. The visual art session always recreate our creative spirit all over the continent. The Books that I Read comes with a personality whose career and lifestyle have been influenced by their encounters with books. There is always an exhibition to view. CORA Stampede is the grand finale to mark the end of the seven day festival in Lagos.