Tejumola Olaniyan.

Applications are now open to the 2024 Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship, organized by The Africa Institute as part of its African Languages and Translation Program. The residency invites writers to Sharjah, UAE for a period of three months to complete their work and will be given a grant of 45,000 AED in total.

Established in 2018, The Africa Institute located in Sharjah, UAE, is an interdisciplinary academic research institute dedicated to the study, research, and documentation of Africa and the African diaspora. It is the only institution of its kind located in the Gulf.

This residency program is created in honor of the late Nigerian Professor Tejumola Olaniyan and his intellectual legacy in the field of African literature and critical theory. Olaniyan was the Louise Durham Mead Professor of English and African Cultural Studies, and the Wole Soyinka Professor of the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Applicants should be creative writers including novelists, short story writers, playwrights, poets and scriptwriters related to Africa and the African diaspora. The proposed project can be in Arabic or English (but other languages will be considered).

Recipients will have the opportunity to publish their texts through The Africa Institute’s publications program. Projects relating to theatre and film scripts can also be published as texts or receive support in facilitating productions. The project could be new or a work-in-progress and should be feasible for completion within the timeframe of the residency.

The residency invites recipients to Sharjah, UAE for a period of three months to complete their work and awarded a grant of 45,000 AED in total. Typically the cohort begins in the fall of every year.

Submission Guidelines:

  • Applications must include:
    • CV/résumé of the applicant
    • A two-page narrative of the project to be undertaken during the residency period, its significance, and a proposed date of completion.
    • A sample of published or unpublished writings.
  • To submit applications, compile all application materials; CV/résumé, two-page narrative and writing sample (in case of a book, please attach separately) into one single PDF in the mentioned order.
  • Please name the file with the residency title abbreviation and the applicant’s name in this format: TOCWRP_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.
  • Use the same name in the email subject heading and send the PDF as an email attachment to [email protected].

Deadline: June 1, 2024

Submit your application as a PDF here.

All applications will be reviewed by The Africa Institute through a committee of peers of well-known writers. Three recipients will be chosen based on the quality of their proposal, and the demonstrated feasibility of completion within the timeframe of the residency.

Good luck to all applicants!