The Black British Book Festival (BBBF) returns to the Barbican this Sunday, marking its fifth year as Europe's largest celebration of Black literature. Founded by children's author Selina Brown in 2021, the festival began as a small gathering after she was told her book wouldn't sell because it featured a Black girl on the cover. It has since grown into a year-round platform, hosting three major festivals across the UK, opening libraries, and collaborating with Glastonbury.
This year's lineup includes Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis, charity director Marcus Ryder, musician Jordan Stephens, and broadcaster June Sarpong. The 36-event programme covers political conversations, children's storytelling, panel discussions, and workshops for aspiring writers. Ryder, co-founder of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, will discuss his book on reparations, The Big Payback. He said: 'We just don't celebrate the joy of Black creativity enough.'
Stephens, known for being half of Rizzle Kicks, described the festival as a space where Black Britons can share their unique experiences. 'The Black British experience is unique in that you're constantly battling a perceived idea of what Britishness is,' he said. 'When you're around people who have all been in that battle, it's a vibe.'
Despite the festival's success, the publishing landscape for Black authors remains challenging. A post-2020 boom in sales of books by writers of colour, sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement, has not been sustained. Earlier this year, leading Black literary figures told the Guardian that UK publishing is now less accessible to Black authors than five years ago. A literacy charity recently reported a 'catastrophic decline' in children's books featuring Black main characters, down by more than a fifth between 2023 and 2024.
Ryder criticised the publishing industry's financial model, noting that Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race initially 'fell off and died' until George Floyd's murder. He added: 'The festival is growing really rapidly. At the same time, lots of Black literature seems to be contracting. That tells me there is a desperate need for community.'
