Giving the inaugural lecture at the second edition of the Marrakech Festival of African Books (FLAM), Diagne explained that literature has a wide potential and is of great importance, enabling us to deepen our understanding and knowledge, and to become aware of the reality of the world.

The strength of literature lies in its ability to capture the human truth of the greatest tragedies, but also to capture the human truth of our hopes, said the Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University in New York.

Africa, the cradle of humanity, has given the world lessons in humanism, through its ability to overcome all forms of racial discrimination and the crimes of genocide, as well as its struggle to emerge from a state of fragmentation towards a shared humanity, he added.

He also noted that the African Book Festival is an ideal opportunity to shed light on the uniqueness of Africa through the strengthening of its identity and the protection of the diversity of its cultural expressions, which are regularly enriched.

“The fact that we are meeting here, on African soil, to talk about Africa and the world, testifies to the Kingdom’s ability to host major events,” he said, emphasizing the importance of this cultural and literary event, which puts Africa in the spotlight.