Mauritian writer Priya Hein has been unveiled as the curator of the 2027 African Book Festival Berlin.
The festival, themed The Island. Ripples in the Ocean, will take place in the German capital from 28 to 30 May 2027.
Organised by Interkontinental since 2018, the African Book Festival Berlin brings leading African writers, poets and thinkers to Berlin every year. Its panel discussions, book chats, readings, poetry recitals and other events have made it one of the most anticipated literary gatherings centring African narratives in Europe.
“Thank you! This is very exciting and such an honour!” said Hein, commenting on the announcement.
Hein, born in Mauritius, has published several children’s books and short stories and has contributed to a number of anthologies. In 2017, she was nominated by the National Library of Mauritius for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. In 2019, she was selected by the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program’s Women’s Creative Mentorship Project as one of two emerging female writers from Mauritius. In 2024, she returned to the IWP to complete the Fall Residency, becoming the fifth writer from Mauritius to participate in the residency.
Hein’s debut novel Riambel won the 2021 Jean Fanchette Prize, chaired by J. M. G. Le Clézio, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Riambel also won the 2023 Prix littéraire Athéna – Ville de Saint-Pierre. She lived in Munich, Germany, for many years with her husband and their two children and now lives in Mauritius with her family.
Hein follows previous curators Olumide Popoola, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Kalaf Epalanga, Lidudumalingani Mqobothi and Ivana Akotowaa Ofori. In 2027, the festival will return to having a central curator after the 2026 edition was curated by the festival audience.