AU20 “Our Africa, Our Future” Writers Residency Programme 2022 (Stipend of $1,000)

The African Union commemorates its 20th anniversary this year after being founded at the Durban Summit in July 2002. The celebrations, known as AU20, will highlight the AU’s activities, triumphs, impact, difficulties, and future directions under the theme “Our Africa, Our Future.”

The African Union (AU), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is hosting a residency program under the AU20 project as part of this commemoration to encourage established writers from all over Africa to create a work that recognizes the unity and potential of the African continent.

The writers residency will take the form of a hybrid programme, with two online meetings in November 2022 and a two-week physical residency at the Library of Africa and African Diaspora (LOATAD) in Accra, Ghana from 14 to 28 November 2022. The residency will culminate in a public event in Accra to showcase and discuss the written work.

Programme Details

Catering to the theme “Our Africa, Our Future”, five writers from the continent will be tasked to interpret the theme in a broad and expansive way across a selected genre, including fiction, narrative non-fiction and poetry. The work will be published in an e-book anthology to be released in early 2023.

The AU20 project aims to elevate the profile of the AU in the minds of Africans, particularly the creative community, and better connect the AU to African citizens. Powered by Africa No Filter, the writers residency will contribute towards bringing the African Union closer to the African people by selecting creative professionals who think outside the box, dare to challenge conventions and offer new and original work through their chosen materials, techniques and subject matters.

The Writer is expected to:

• Be willing to commit to the entirety of the residency programme i.e. both digital (3 & 7 November) and physical (14-28 November) sessions.
• Produce a piece of writing between 5,000 and 7,000 words (or five poems for poets) on the theme “Our Africa, Our Future” for publication in the e-book anthology.
• Prepare a 500-word summary to promote the piece(s), for inclusion in the African Union’s flagship magazine, the AU ECHO.
• Participate in the public event at the end of the residency, photography and videography of the creation process, and any publicity that may arise from the programme.

Benefits

• All travel costs to, from and within Ghana will be covered.
• Accommodation and board at LOATAD in Ghana.
• Access to the library’s extensive resources.
• A stipend of US$1,000.
• Trips to relevant places of interest while in Ghana.
• Meetings with key people in the Ghanaian/African literary space.

Eligibility

• Open to established writers of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry who have had at least one book/chapbook published by a reputable publisher (not including self-published work) or who have substantial publication credits in literary journals/magazines.
• Writers can write their pieces in either French or English, and must be able to communicate in English.
• Writers must be both nationals of, and resident in, any African country.
• Writers must own a valid passport and be willing to travel to Ghana to participate in the physical residency.

Application

Applicants are to complete the form attaching the following documents:

• A one-page cover letter explaining why you want to participate in this AU-themed residency and what you hope to gain from the experience.
• Your writers CV (3 pages maximum) with contact details for two referees.
• A writing sample of no more than 2,000 words in your preferred genre.
• A copy of the ID page of your passport.

Click here to apply