The Arts-Muse Fair

By Marjaan sadiq    My hands were trembling as I knocked at his door. Music blared from inside the apartment. I recognised the song immediately; Unleash the Dragon by Sisqo. I smiled, the man is some old school. He opened in less than a second, almost like he had been by the door, awaiting my arrival. His appearance didn't help, it made me flustered. He was wearing a multi-coloured button-down shirt. The only problem was that the shirt was not buttoned-down, all the buttons were undone and he was not wearing anything inside it. I halted. That was definitely unprofessional. Then it hit me, coming to his house was also unprofessional. I shifted my eyes from his torso to his face, willing them not to wander further. He was young, younger than I expected a bank manager to be. He was probably in his mid-thirties. "Nina right?" He asked, smirking. My eyes widened: did he just lick his lips? Hmm, I was probably imagining it. I toyed with the idea of lying that

So a friend of mine linked me up with a friend of his in Nassarawa state, who himself wanted someone who is into cultural things and entertainment in Niger state. So, we got talking with Yahaya, a Lafia resident in Nassarawa state. He (Yahaya) is a regular participant of Calabar carnival. Because of his years of experience and participation, the Cross Rivers State Carnival Commission got him acting as a kind of ambassador and go-between with cultural groups and troupes in the northern axis. The Cross River state Carnival Commission through Yahaya got my group invited to the 2017 cultural parade billed to take place on the 26th of December 2017, a day after Christmas.  I got talking yet again with the officials of the carnival commission and they asked me to liaise with my state's ministry for culture and tourism of course as a private participant. On my inquiry with the Niger state Ministry for Culture and Tourism I was able to deduce that their invitation came late and

OneBeat is a music exchange and incubator for music-based social entrepreneurship, where innovative musicians from around the world launch collaborative projects designed to make a positive impact on local and global communities. An initiative of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the groundbreaking New York-based music organization Bang on a Can's Found Sound Nation, OneBeat employs collaborative original music as a potent new form of cultural diplomacy. African countries eligible for the 2018 OneBeat program are: Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. DEADLINE  Applications are due by 5:00pm (Eastern Standard Time, USA) Feb 9, 2018. NOTIFICATION  Applicants will be notified of the review panel decision by the end of May, 2018. PROGRAM  OneBeat 2018 will take place from September 12 – October 14, 2018. CONTACT  If you have questions pl

Writivism has released names of six judges, in two panels, for the 2018 short story and creative non-fiction Writivism prizes. The judging panels are made up of award winning writers. The short story prize panel has Shadreck Chikoti, a representative of the Story Club of Malawi and sponsors of the prize as the head. Chikoti will work alongside Ugandan short story writer, Beatrice Lamwaka and Emmanuel Sigauke, who has been a longstanding member of the Writivism Council of advisors. The Koffi Addo prize for creative non-fiction panel will be chaired by novelist and memoirist, Akwaeke Emezi. In her panel are Daniel Kalinaki, Ugandan journalist, and Sumayya Lee, the editor and longstanding member of the Writivism Council of advisors. The Koffi Addo prize is sponsored by the Koffi Addo family. Organizers observed that the six judges represent a diversity of backgrounds and the high standards that the two prizes aspire to. Organisers urged unpublished emerging writer

·           Alternative Publishing and Financing Workshop: 16th – 17th February, 2018, Kampala. African Writers Trust (AWT) in collaboration with Word –o– Mat, will hold a 2-day Skills Development workshop for emerging publishing professionals and self-published authors from  16 th   – 17 th  February, 2018, in Kampala, Uganda. Supported by the British Council in partnership with Writers’ Centre Norwich, UK as part of the International Literature Showcase, the workshop will target 10 self-published authors and emerging publishing professionals from Uganda, selected from those looking to expand their work to a wider audience, but are limited by funds. Follow link below for additional details on the workshop Alternative Publishing and Financing Workshop 16th – 17th February 2018 Kampala, Uganda. Contact AWT at info@africanwriterstrust.org for more information on how to participate.

BOOK: Easy Motion Tourist. AUTHOR: Leye Adenle PUBLISHER: Cassava Republic REVIEWER : Nana Sule “ In the open gutter by the road, flourishing with wild vegetation and an assortment of discarded plastic bags, lay the body of a girl ” What Guy Collins, a British journalist would find on his second night in Lagos, Nigeria, would be the body of a young girl, devoid of its breasts. He would have originally come to cover the presidential elections for his news line. He would have fought amongst his colleagues to be in Nigeria, only so he could return to Mel - his ex . To tell her how Nigerian he could be, and how she needed to take him back for he understood her people. But he would get arrested by the Nigerian Police, he would almost sleep in a Nigerian cell, and he would meet the beautiful Amaka. And Amaka would steer him in another direction. “I work for a charity. We work with prostitutes. We give them counselling, financial support, shelter if they nee

Application deadline: 20 th  January, 2018 Are you a young African filmmaker looking for an international training platform to develop your new documentary film project? DOK.fest München together with the Cultural Department of the City of Munich and in cooperation with the University for Television and Film Munich (HFF) offers a Residency Programme accompanied by training in scriptwriting, financing and pitching.  The Residency at Ebenböckhaus (2 nd  March – 14 th  May, 2018) The DOK.network Africa residency is aimed at supporting filmmakers from African countries to develop their feature-length narrative documentary film projects at the international level. Thanks to our funding partners we can offer two scholarships including travel costs to and from Munich, a mentoring and training programme, monthly allowance of 1,200 Euros and accommodation in the artist-in-residence premises at the Ebenböckhaus of the City of Munich. The residency programme will last from 2 nd  M