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Talks / Ideas / Philosophy

Launch of Somali Week Festival 2026

British Library

96 Euston Road

Fri 16 Oct · 19:00 · £12

London
Get tickets · £12

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About this event

This is an in-person only event in the British Library Pigott Theatre. There will be a drinks reception from 18.00.Join Kayd Somali Arts & Culture to launch the 18th Annual Somali Week Festival with an evening of conversation, reflection and performance, exploring the theme of the 2026 festival. Writers, artists and cultural practitioners Ubah Cristina Ali Farah, Sabrina Ali, Ifrah F. Ahmed and Hussein Suleiman come together to explore what it means to make a home – and create spaces that feel like home – through literature, theatre, food, research and fashion.The Somali Week Festival, one of the biggest festivals outside the Horn of Africa, brings together artists, academics, influencers, and the community, to celebrate and engage with Somali cultural and creativity.

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Launch of Somali Week Festival 2026 poster

Follow the thread

From this venue’s worldWinter Reading RoomsJanuary is for ideas. These are the rooms where London still thinks in long form — independent bookshops, library reading rooms, and societies that predate the internet by centuries.From this venue’s worldLiterary LondonIndependent bookshops, reading rooms and literary houses where the city meets its writers.LineageBritish literary scholarshipTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.LineageKnowledge and research institutionTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.LineagePublic intellectual discourseTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.Adjacent this weekRough Justice: Wendy Joseph KCChiswick Book FestivalAdjacent this weekMemories of Care: Trans+ Contributions to Health, Culture and Social JusticeWellcome CollectionAdjacent this weekSaturday Talks ProgrammeSouthbank Centre

A different kind of night

Not the same tradition as the lineage above — a genuinely different thread to pull, if you want one.

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