AWDT: Helping Africa's young writers out of obscurity
November 2019 would forever remain indelible in the
minds of six young African writers.
The six writers are
Modou Lamin Sowe from The Gambia; Sakina Traoré, from Cote D' Ivoire; Tega
Oghenechovwen, from Nigeria; Ngang God'swill N, from Cameroon; Maryam
Boyi, from Nigeria and Edem Azah, from Ghana.
They would never
forget November 2019 because of their convergence in Abuja, the Nigeria’s
Capital city, for a residency program organised by the African Writers
Development Trust, AWDT. The residency started on the 1st of November and ended
on the 21st.
According to their
accounts, the residency program tagged: ‘PenPen Africa Writers Residency’, was
an opportunity for them not only to learn how to improve their art, but also an
opportunity for learning new cultures, new environment and, above all, an
opportunity to make more friends and writer colleagues.
Speaking on her
experience during residency, Ms Edem Azah said she learnt a lot about other
residents’ cultures and how to live together without a fight.
“I am grateful to
organisers for making this opportunity available to. I hope I can actually make
use of what I have learnt to make myself a better writer,” she said.
As for the
Cameroonian, Mr God'swill N, coming to Nigeria as well as leaving out of his
country for the first time were some of the fascinating experiences he would
live to remember.
He said: “This is my
first time of leaving my country. In fact, this is my first time of boarding a
plane. And I have met fascinating people.
“For example, before
coming here, I used to have different perception about Muslims and Islam, and
Hausa people.
“These experiences
have been enlightening and they would add flesh to my future writing. This
residency has actually boosted my creativity.
“I wrote some few
lines during my stay and I think they are one of my best output. That tells a
lot about coming to this residency and the type of community I was initiated
into,” Mr God'swill N stated.
According to
the Ivorian, Ms Sakina, "coming to this residency made me feel the
African-ness in me. We don’t need to be of the same tribe, religion and country
to live happily. So, I enjoyed myself in this residency. I was introduced to
different delicacies.”
The
organizers explained that the residency is in two phases. The first one was just concluded in
Abuja while the second one will hold in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya's will also
feature six writers.
Also, each of the
residents is expected to produce two stories which would be compiled into an
anthology.
The name PenPen
Africa is derived from the word “Pen” and in this context is used in its
duality to symbolise first, the process of writing and second, a place of
enclosure used to house a particular species.
The PenPen Africa
project, an initiative of the AWDT, is targeted at promoting cultural
integration among Africans, using literature. The project’s lifecycle commenced
July 1, 2019 and will end June 30, 2020.
The project is
implemented in partnership with the Writers Guild Kenya. It is funded by
Culture at Work Africa and co-funded by the European Union. As the Abuja's
residency was for writers from West Africa, Kenya's residency will feature writers from
East Africa.
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