Moses Edozie Champions Social Change Through Storytelling at BUKSFEST
By Mustapha Salisu
Bayero University Kano (BUK) came alive on Friday as students, poets, and community advocates gathered for the annual Bayero University Storytelling Festival (BUKSFEST), an event curated by spoken-word poet and final-year Biochemistry student, Moses Edozie.
The festival, held at BUK Old Campus on July 25, celebrated the power of storytelling as a tool for community engagement, health education, and personal development.
It featured three key segments: a storytelling workshop, an art exhibition, and a main stage event where poets, speakers, and storytellers honored the rich tradition of oral narrative in Northern Nigeria.
Mr. Moses Edozie, the convener, said the festival aims to “use creative storytelling to inspire positive change, helping students and young people confront social issues and reimagine solutions through words and art.”
A major highlight of the festival was the Storytelling Workshop, which brought together 40 young participants for an interactive session on how stories can be used for social impact, advocacy, and digital expression.
“Many young people have stories they care about whether it’s about injustice, community resilience, mental health, gender, education, or climate but they often don’t know where to begin,” said Fatima Umar, Vice President of KL-YAAN, during a briefing.
“This workshop bridges that gap by helping students build practical storytelling skills they can use immediately on campus, online, and in their communities. We connect them with professionals in journalism, civic engagement, and activism, and encourage ethical, culturally-aware storytelling that respects context but challenges the status quo,” she added.
The 2025 edition of BUKSFEST was made possible through a grant from OpenArts, with the workshop component powered by the KL-YES Alumni Association of Nigeria (KL-YAAN) Kano Chapter, in collaboration with Kano Global Shapers and Primetime News NG. Sessions focused on advocacy, ethical storytelling, and mobile journalism.
