AFRICA WRITES 2019 – CALL FOR IDEAS

LONDON – Friday 5 July – Saturday 6 July, The British Library
BRISTOL – late June (final dates TBC)

The Royal African Society’s annual celebration of contemporary literature from Africa and the diaspora returns! Established in 2012, Africa Writes is now the UK’s biggest celebration of contemporary African writing. The festival aims to showcase both established writers and newcomers to a UK audience, provide an opportunity for African literature fans to meet and connect, and to encourage people to develop their interest in literature and their own creative skills.

The programme for Africa Writes is developed collaboratively with a range of partners. We work with these organisations and individuals to build the range of exciting discussions, book launches and workshops that make up the festival each year.

Last year, we asked you what ideas you had to contribute to the festival, and you didn’t disappoint. We had a very large number of submissions, and some of these ideas became a reality at the 2018 festival. This year, we are reaching out once again to hear your ideas, and ask for your suggestions. We are also excited that plans for a Bristol Africa Writes are in the pipeline, which is set to take place towards the end of June (final dates TBC).

We aim for the process to be open and inclusive, to reflect the broad community that makes up Africa Writes. All the individuals and organisations whose submissions are part of the 2018 programme will be fully acknowledged and credited.

– Do you represent an author that you think would be perfect for Africa Writes?
– Are you buzzing with an idea for a book launch or workshop that you would love to see at the festival?
– Do you have an idea for a performance event or panel discussion?

From the seeds of an idea to a fully-fledged plan, we would like to invite you to submit whatever suggestions you might have, to influence and help create the festival in 2019. The submissions will be then reviewed and some will be developed, to work towards shaping the programme for Africa Writes 2019. This, in turn, will inform our applications to secure funding for the festival to take place.

Please note:
1. Africa Writes is organised by the Royal African Society, a membership charity based in London that aims to promote Africa in the UK
2. The festival is funded by public grants from the Arts Council England and the British Council and supported by donations from trusts and foundations
3. We fundraise in order to finance the festival each year, and there is no profit made
4. Due to our small team and resources, we are unfortunately not able to respond to every submission
5. We are a charity rather than a grant-making organisation, and we work in the area of books and literature. If you are looking for funding for a project or a scholarship, or a partner for your development project, we would advise you to look elsewhere
6. If you don’t know much about Africa Writes, please take a look at the 2018 programme to get a sense of the kind of events that are usually programmed.

You can find the details here: http://africawrites.org/featured/programme/ 

The form may take about 10 – 20 minutes to complete. View form

Submissions close Tuesday 6 November 2018