ANA names Professor Udenta as keynote speaker for 2025 convention
By Adeola Ogunrinde –
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has announced Professor Udenta O. Udenta as the Keynote Speaker for its forthcoming 44th Annual International Convention. The event, regarded as Africa’s biggest annual literary gathering, will hold from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2, 2025. This year’s theme is “The Nigerian Writer and the Urgencies of the Nation-State.”
In a statement signed by ANA’s General Secretary, Dame Joan Oji (Ph.D), the choice of Professor Udenta was described as deliberate and timely, considering his contributions to literature, cultural studies, public policy, and civil rights advocacy. His keynote address is expected to set the tone for critical engagements at the convention.
Professor Udenta, a renowned scholar of African and comparative literature, cultural studies, and aesthetic theory, is Professor of Cultural Studies and Creative Writing as well as Director-General of the African Writers Institute, Abuja. His career began in 1996 as Senior Research Fellow in African Studies and Senior Lecturer at Abia State University, Uturu.
Between 2001 and 2008, he underwent specialized training in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States, gaining expertise in early warning conflict indicators, restorative justice, alternative dispute resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction strategies.
A prolific writer, he has authored and edited over 21 books and presented more than 100 scholarly papers at national and international fora. His works include Crisis of Theory in Contemporary Nigerian Literature, Revolutionary Aesthetics and the African Literary Process, and Heroism and Critical Consciousness in African Literature. His six-volume collection of fiction, drama, poetry, philosophy, and essays highlights his versatility.
Beyond academia, he has served as Director of Strategy and Communications at the Centre for Alternative Policy Perspectives and Strategy (CAPPS), and as a Distinguished Fellow of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought. He has also consulted for the World Bank, DFID, UNDP, EU Nigeria Mission, and USAID on democracy, culture, conflict mitigation, and capacity building.
A committed democrat, Udenta played a leading role during the resistance against General Sani Abacha’s dictatorship as a member of the Eastern Mandate Union (EMU) and NADECO, enduring several arrests before his release in 1998. He later became the National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) during Nigeria’s return to civilian rule.
ANA assured that the 44th convention will be an intellectually stimulating event, bringing together writers, scholars, cultural workers, and stakeholders from across Africa. With Prof. Udenta delivering the keynote, the literary community anticipates robust discussions on the intersection of literature, national crises, and the role of the writer in shaping Nigeria’s future.
