The Ugandan literary platform Ibua Publishing invites writers to submit stories and poetry exploring the theme of food. The objective of the call is to celebrate Africa’s rich culinary culture through literary expression.

Our various cultures boast of rich food traditions. But beyond its sustenance, food is a complex element of life on this continent—in access to, production, preparation, and availability. Food is also personal with its aromas and textures triggering powerful associations that we carry with us, just as our eating habits become convoluted entryways into self-discovery. For the Bold 2022 Call, all submissions should be inspired by the food from our rich cultures and our interaction with them. They should be set in a locale on the African continent.

The winning story and poem will receive a cash prize of USD 300 and USD 120, respectively while the five finalists will receive USD 100 and USD 50 respectively. All Long-listed stories and poems will be published in the Ibua Journal under the theme Bold 2022 Continental Call: Food in Africa.

Ibua Publishing, founded in 2018, is a digital platform established for the purpose of producing and distributing literature from African writers, and creating an easy digital access to these stories. In addition to running a literary magazine Ibua Journal, they publish poetry collections, novels, children’s books etc. Just last year, they earned a Caine Prize shortlist for the short story “Lucky” by Ugandan author Doreen Baingana.

Submission Guidelines:

  1. Only one submission can be entered per author per category (Short story/Memoir or Poem).
  2. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word, as follows: Font: Calibri Light; Font Size 12;  Line Spacing 5. 
  3. Submissions’ word limit is 6,000 to 10,000 words for Short Story/Memoir, and100 for Poetry.
  4. Submissions must be previously unpublished and in the English language. (Read more here: http://ibuajournal.com/continental-calls/)

Deadline: 29 May, 2022.

Go here for more details on how to submit.