This year, the African Union celebrates its 20th anniversary since the organisation’s establishment at the Durban Summit of July 2002. Dubbed AU20, the celebrations are taking place under the theme ‘Our Africa, Our Future’ and will focus on the AU’s initiatives, successes, impact, challenges and the way forward.
As part of this commemoration, the African Union (AU), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is hosting a residency programme under the AU20 project for established writers from across Africa to produce a piece of work that celebrates the unity and potential of the African continent.
The writers residency will take the form of a hybrid programme, with two online meetings in October/November 2022 and a two-week physical residency at the Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD) in Accra, Ghana from 14-28 November 2022. The residency will culminate in a public event in Accra to showcase and discuss the written work.
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.
What is Expected of the Writers
- Be willing to commit to the entirety of the residency programme i.e. both digital (31 October – 7 November 2022) and physical (14-28 November 2022) sessions.
- Produce a piece of writing between 5000 and 7000 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.
What Writers Receive
- All travel costs to, from and within Ghana.
- Accommodation and board at LOATAD in Ghana.
- Access to the library’s extensive resources.
- A stipend of US$1000.
- Trips to relevant places of interest while in Ghana.
- Meetings with key people in the Ghanaian/African literary space.
Eligibility
- Established writers of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry who have had at least one book/chapbook published by a reputable publisher, or pending publication/under contract (not including self-published work) or who have substantial publication credits in literary journals/magazines/newspapers, etc.
- 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.
