The Barda Murya digital fellowship for writers from Northern Nigeria supported by the MacArthur Foundation is open for application.

The word Bada Murya, which means “give voice” in Hausa, informs the spirit of the 6-month fellowship aimed at changing the perception and narratives of Northern Nigeria through the writings of its young people. Northern Nigeria, in mainstream narrative, has long been associated with undesirable extremes, and young Northerners mostly bear the brunt of these stereotypes. It is the hope of the fellowship therefore to “give voice” to young writers from the region to reconstruct their stories and forge a new narrative for themselves.

The workshop is held in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation. Ten writers will be selected as fellows for the inaugural workshop and will be eligible for the following benefits:

  •  A six-month digital workshop including three months of craft shaping sessions and three months of one-on-one mentorship.
  • An opportunity to work on, and produce, an original work.
  • Publication in an anthology resulting from the fellowship.
  • Travel, accommodation and a stipend of N20,000 to visit Lagos in October 2021 for a special Fellows showcase at the 2021 edition of the Lagos International Poetry Festival.

Facilitators for the workshop include Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (fiction), Ayisha Osori (nonfiction) Wana Udobang (digital world), Dike Chukwumerije (play-writing), Titiilope Sonuga (poetry) and Efe Paul Azino (writing as a form of protest).

The deadline for applications is April 10. The fellowship will begin in May 2021 and run through October 2021.

For details on eligibility, go here.