Omenana Magazine is one of Africa’s top literary outlets publishing strictly speculative fiction. Founded and edited by BBC journalist Fred Nwonwu, the magazine is home to works by some of the continent’s finest speculative fiction writers such as Chikodili Emelummadu, Wole Talabi, Nneoma Ike Njoku and Mbozi Haimbe.

They are currently accepting submissions for a special edition issue. The initiative is a collaborative effort with the US-based the National Democratic Institute (NDI). It invites writers and illustrators from the continent to submit stories across the genre of speculative fiction, as well as illustrations, on the theme “Positive Visions of Democracy”.

See an excerpt from their call below:

“We are looking for 15 speculative short stories that explore the theme “Positive Visions of Democracy”. We are looking for strong, character-driven stories that focus on future or other worlds where society’s bedrock is solid democratic institutions. These future or other worlds can be dystopias, but they should be ones where an entrenchment of universal suffrage holds hope. Maybe democratic principles or institutions shape the events of your story. Maybe your story re-envisions how democracy could work. Or maybe democratic norms are just key components of the background.”

Submission Guidelines

  • Only original, previously unpublished work will be considered.
  • Stories should range from between 1,000 to 5,000 words.
  • Submissions can span any time frame, and should be centered on the African experience.
  • Stories can be Science Fiction, Fantasy, African Futurism, SteamPunk, Space Opera or any other genre of speculative fiction.
  • Accepted submissions will receive a flat rate of USD 100 for published stories and USD 50 for accompanying Illustration.

All submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Interested illustrators should send a sample of their work to the same email address.

Deadline: 30 April, 2022.

For more details, go here.