Storymoja » Opportunities

CALL FOR PAPERS:Journal of Pan African Studies (JPAS)

Storymoja — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:38:33 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS:

The Politics of African Literature: Writers, Activists and Intellectuals

Journal of Pan African Studies (JPAS)

Guest editors: Heather DuBois Bourenane and Mukoma Wa Ngugi

The Journal of Pan African Studies (JPAS) invites papers for a special issue on Politics and African Literature. This issue will explore how writers create, address and interrogate Pan-African solidarities through works of fiction, poetry, prose and other communication arts. There’s nothing particularly unique about the political nature of much African literature; all literature is political in some way as it attempts to mediate and examine the realities of everyday life through various artistic media. But African literature is unique, perhaps, in being rather singularly held to a political standard; our expectations that African writers seek to confront inequities, expose corruption, reflect on historical ills, etc, colors the way we read, and the way we think about the role of African writers as agents of social transformation. This issue will address various aspects of the relationship between writing and politics, including (but not limited to):

What is the role of postcolonial African writer? To what audience(s) does the Pan African writer appeal? What tensions complicate or liberate the relationship between form and content in African literature? When are national, religious, ethnic, linguistic and other categories useful in constructing solidarity with one’s readers and when are they problematic?
Who is an African writer? In what ways does the term African literature as a category ghettoize or liberate? What is “African literature” today? To what extent can it be considered an expression of Pan African solidarity? Is such a move essentializing or productive?
Are aesthetics and the political novel mutual exclusive? What is the role of the literary critic in the appreciation of African literature?
What are the continuities and discontinuities between the older and younger generation of African writers? Where does the African literary tradition stand today? Where has it been?
Cosmopolitan writers, been-tos, and exiles: What do we make of the fact that a majority of the most widely read African writers do not live in Africa, or were educated abroad? How does this affect choices of form, theme and content? How does this affect the relationship between the writer and society?
The writer and the state. What role can/does the African writer play in terms of influencing and reflecting on contemporary politics? To what extent is the charge of elitism valid? Why do so many African states continue to see artists as threats and what can/should be done to invest in protections of the rights of writers, scholars, and activists? How and when are “Pan-African” and “nationalist” efforts either productive or problematic?

Papers from activists and scholars of any academic disciplines are welcome. We invite papers on the roles of individual writers/groups as well as analyses of literary works or trends in African literature or its reception. Please include a brief biographical statement or cv and your affiliation with your proposal. Deadline for 300-500 word abstracts is September 30th, 2010. Accepted papers must be submitted by January 31^st, 2011. For more information or to submit a proposal, please contact the guest editors, Heather DuBois Bourenane at hldubois@wisc.edu and Mukoma Wa Ngugi at mukomangugi@gmail.com.

JPAS 7

CALL FOR PAPERS – THE MEDIA AND ELECTIONS IN AFRICA

Storymoja — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:53:48 +0000

Call for Papers – The Media and Elections in Africa

Location:	South Africa
Call for Papers Deadline:	2010-05-31 (in 5 days)
Date Submitted:	2010-05-24
Announcement ID:	176375

11th and 12th October 2010
WISER, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND

WISER and the Department of Political Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand will be hosting a 2-day conference on Recent Elections and the Media in Africa on the 11th and 12th of October 2010. Our objective is to solicit papers that encourage debate across the media – print, the electronic media, radio and television:

1. To compare and contrast techniques and strategies of media representation in recent and forthcoming African elections.
2. To analyse struggles to control the media during elections.
3. To analyse popular efforts to find a space for voice in the media.
4. To analyse global representations and international coverage of Africa during elections.

Panels will be organized around the following topics:

A. How does the media present real and fictional images of African politicians and heads of state? This could include a hard look at the role of advertising and the way leaders, their aides and their publics are represented. Also relevant here are questions that address the ‘Othering’ of African leaders in the global media (for instance as buffoon, tyrant, dictator, ‘traditional’, global, spiritual, moral).

B. ‘Presentism’ and the erasure of historical memory in the media. By this we mean the reluctance of the media to set their discussion of elections in any sort of historical and political context. Instead we have the constant ‘Now’. What are the consequences of this lacuna?

C. Leadership and Contestation: Case studies of elections and media representations which focus on leaders and parties. Papers could cover the following: the Zimbabwean elections 2007/8; the Angolan 2008 elections; the 2008 Zambian elections; the South African elections of 2008; Botswana and forthcoming elections in 2010 in Togo (presidential elections), Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sao Tome and Principe, and possibly Burundi.

D. A focus on Gender, Masculinity, Sexuality and the Politics of Leadership Identity: this could address the self-fashioning of leaders as regards dress, costume, ‘signatures’ and cultural accoutrements. It also calls for a focus on the first lady/ies phenomenon in the media representation of leaders. How are women leaders represented?

E. Media and the Hazards of Representation: in this session we interrogate/celebrate the role of popular culture during elections. How the readings of popular culture can illuminate listeners’/viewers’ opinions and bases of knowledge through tapping into pavement talk (‘radio trottoir’), popular songs, slogans and so on. What is the role of popular culture during elections?

F. Satire and the insights and subversions of cartoon voices and political comedians. In what ways has satire contributed to a critical and edgy understanding of the nature of politics, particularly during periods leading up to elections.

Please send titles and abstracts of not more than 300 words by 31 May 2010 to Najibha Deshmukh najibha.deshmukh@wits.ac.za. Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be notified by the 17th June 2010. Some of the papers will be selected for publication in relevant journals, such as the Journal of Southern African Studies. There will be no conference fee. We hope to be able to subsidise the attendance of younger scholars should we acquire requisite funding.

Financial Support for Selected Participants: In order to encourage participation by scholars who might be affected by financial constraints the organizers hope to be able to provide limited funding assistance for travel and accommodation to selected participants. Anyone interested applying for a travel/accommodation grant submit a written application and a CV along with their abstract. Applications from younger scholars at universities in Africa are particularly encouraged. Note that any grant available will not include a per diem allowance. The decision of the organizers on funding will be final.

Convenors: Liz Gunner, WISER, Sheila Meintjes, Political Studies, Wits University.

UW	Professor Sheila Meintjes Email: sheila.meintjes@wits.ac.za

STUDIO EDIRISA SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2010

Storymoja — Sat, 22 May 2010 15:44:18 +0000

Here at Studio Edirisa, we try to encourage creativity through competitions and challenges. So we have organised a short story writing competition for you, with quite an attractive prize budget – 500 American dollars. Would you like to be part of it? Are you an East African with a writing talent? Submission of entries is now open!

Eligibility:

The competition is open to nationals of the East African Community.

Criteria:

We are looking for interesting short stories, pieces of fiction writing. Please do not preach to your audience, make them immersed in your story. Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. Edirisa retains publication rights to the winning entries. Entries must not exceed 2000 words.

Topics:

Entries must be related to any of the following:

- role models and bad models

- tribal secrets

- healthy life

Prizes:

A prize fund of $500USD (payable in the local currency) will be divided among up to three winning entries. Studio Edirisa reserves the right not to award prizes if entries do not meet basic quality standards.

Selection of winners:

Winning entries will be selected by the Studio Edirisa editorial board based on, among other factors,

1. creativity

2. attractiveness to young East Africans (18-30 year old)

3. organisation and writing style

4. cultural relevance

5. originality of ideas

Submission of entries:

Strictly only via email to studio@edirisa.org no later than 5:00 pm East African Time 31 March 2010. (UPDATE: the new deadline is 1 June 2010, 5:00 pm East African Time)

Technical requirements:

All entries must be in Rich Text Format (choose under “Save As” in your word processor). Use capital letters properly – entries without capital letters or written in all caps will be rejected. Punctuation marks must be followed by one space. Example: “He accepted. She smiled.” NOT: “He accepted.She smiled .”

Judging and notification:

Every entry meeting our technical requirements will be read by the judges. Judges’ decisions are final. We deserve the right to re-categorise entries.

The following are not permitted to enter the contest: members of the Studio Edirisa editorial board (staff and interns) and their family members.

All submission authors will be notified about receiving their entry, award winners will be notified by email before 1 July 2010. (UPDATE: 1 August 2010)

Inquiries: Any inquiries regarding the competition should be directed to studio@edirisa.org.

Call for Submissions – Indian Voices

Storymoja — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:58:05 +0000

After the huge success of CANADIAN VOICES®, a book series in Canada giving voice to emerging Canadian writers, Trade Architects (Canada) Inc. has now joined hands with Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy, a leading knowledge company in India with principal offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengalaru.

PROJECT: Literature can only develop with a continuous flow of new voices. INDIAN VOICES® aims to provide a platform to highlight the diversity of thought and enrich the ever expanding world of Indian writing, whether in India or world–wide.

PROJECT GOAL: To bring to the world’s reading public accessible literature from diverse voices of emerging Indian or Indian- origin writers.

SUBMISSIONS: Short Stories from 1,000 to 2,000 words; poems no more than 2 pages; travelogues from 1,000 to 2,000 words; excerpts from novels from 1,000 to 2,000 words; and excerpts from book- length memoirs from 1000 to 2000 words.

PUBLICATION: The selected entries will be published in October 2010 as a commercial trade book anthology by Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy (www.fortytwobookzgalaxy.com). Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy is, in India’s growing books industry, a prominent publisher, distributor and online retailer through its store www.42bookz.com.

Curry is thicker than water

PROJECT COORDINATOR: Trade Architects (Canada) Inc. (www.tradearchitects.com) The project will be coordinated and edited by Dr. Jasmine D’Costa, author of Curry is Thicker Than Water and coordinator and editor of Canadian Voices, Volume I and Volume II.

ENTRY TERMS

- The participants will not be charged any handling or entry fee, but must submit an edited copy of his/her work for review by the publisher

and coordinator. The publisher reserves the right to reject a submission if it does not meet the publisher’s literary standards or deemed inappropriate in any way

- Kindly submit your entry with a title page that should include Title, Name of the author, Email address, Phone number and Mailing address.

- The submission should be in 12pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” pages. Multiple entries are allowed.

- The entries should be sent via email in a Word document as an attachment to tradearchitects@gmail.com with a copy to indianvoices@fortytwobookzgalaxy.com with a subject heading SUBMISSION: INDIAN VOICES. The mail is being filtered and those who submit without this requirement will automatically be deleted

- You will receive an auto response if the mail has reached us

TIME SCHEDULE

- Last date of acceptance is 1st July, 2010. The book will be released as at the end of October 2010. We would be happy to get entries well before the deadline to enable us to work with the selections and keep our schedules.

ENQUIRIES: For any further information please write to: Trade Architects (Canada) Inc. at tradearchitects@gmail.com and/or indianvoices@fortytwobookzgalaxy.com.

NOTE: The project is contingent on receiving an acceptable minimum of suitable entries.

Artist residency in Portugal

Storymoja — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:10:56 +0000

ARTErra, is a private structure of incentive to the creation. In a laboratory logic, the artist finds in the Arterra a house with a series of comforts and a yard of creation, where several spaces for the creation and development of an artistic work. This structure is placed in a village in PORTUGAL, Tondela, district of Viseu. We are now receiving applications from artists in the following areas:
-Composer / songwriter
-Performance
-Photography
-Writing
-Painting
-Theater
-Sculpture
-Crafts…
Please visit our blog at http://arterra-residencias.blogspot.com/ contact us for arterra.geral@gmail.com

Arterra is a artistic residence in a quiet and green small village. We offered the artists two distinct spaces, the house where they can do the meal, rest, meet…
Public presentations can be provide thanks to a partnership with town hall. And the “creation yard”, with different work places, ateliers, studio, black box, documentacion center and open air.
The application must contain the following elements:

- C.V. artist
- Portfolio, videos, photos …
- Description of the project to be undertaken ARTERRA out, including the project’s objectives, needs and expectations of residence and all the details necessary to understanding the proposal.
- Dates and Duration of residence
- Details (need for meals, work characteristics, number of persons, additional information relevant to the work process).
Please contact us if you are looking to a place to develop your artistic project. We are commited to do the best we can to provide a good work to our guests

Tel: 351962781090
Email: arterra.geral@gmail.com
Visit the website at http://arterra-residencias.blogspot.com

Residencias

UC Berkeley J-School opens 2010-2011 fellowships for African journalists

Storymoja — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:45:21 +0000

The Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley is pleased to invite applications for three yearlong fellowships for accomplished African journalists, beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year.

The fellowships will each total $36,000, including round trip airfare, professional stipends, and rent while in Berkeley.

The selected fellows will join the School’s Visiting International Scholars Program and participate in a new journalism training initiative aimed to provide high quality coverage of agricultural development issues in Africa for dissemination in U.S., African, and international media. The initiative will also offer dedicated funding for both domestic U.S. and Africa travel for research and reporting work.

Requirements:

Selected fellows must bring at least five years experience in journalism in sub-Saharan Africa, in any medium including print newspaper, magazine, television, radio, documentary, or new media format such as blogging, podcasting, and other online publishing.

Applicants also must demonstrate a proven track record of commitment to the truth-seeking craft, and a willingness to effectively investigate the problems of hunger on the continent with an aim to publish or broadcast stories about these topics and bring them to light in compelling form for audiences in Africa and around the world. A B.A. degree, at minimum, is strongly desired, along with experience and knowledge about agricultural issues in the applicant’s native country.

Selected African fellows will enroll with other Visiting Scholars in background courses at Berkeley examining the global food crisis starting in late August 2010, while also contributing their knowledge about Africa and journalism to their U.S. and international peers.

Please submit applications via the online form.

To access the form, use the password:

africa2010

The form provides spaces to include your resume, a one-page cover letter containing a statement of interest, and links to three examples of work.

For questions, contact africa@journalism.berkeley.edu

Deadline for applications: Monday, March 29, 2010

This opportunity is part of a two-year grant provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.

B & M Gates Foundation

African Writing Online – 2010 Publication Schedule

Storymoja — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:51:10 +0000

2010 Publication Schedule

Issue No. 10.

13th April, 2010

Issue No. 11.

12th June, 2010

Issue No. 12.

14th August, 2010

Issue No. 13.

14th October, 2010

Issue No. 14.

14th December, 2010

Submissions Guidelines

African Writing

We welcome submissions from our readers. Our preference is for new, unpublished work. Our natural constituency of writers and material are African or Diasporan (please interpret boldly) but we will publish any writer who writes into the African Condition (please interpret boldly). We are adventurous in our definition of Africana, but we will also publish good literature generally.

Please read us before submitting. If you are a poet, send a long poem or four smaller pieces. Essays, fiction, memoirs and other prose pieces should be 1,500 to 6000 words. Please attach a third person biography and a photograph. We aim to acknowledge submissions. Editorial decisions are usually made within a month.

We actively encourage the submission of literature in translation. We are keen to publish good writers who are not particularly familiar to readers in English.

We will not publish hate literature. We do not currently pay for submissions. This policy is under constant review. We are happy to publish event information of interest to the writing world. We are happy to receive advertising enquiries.

Please query before sending reviews. We are happy to receive books for review that may be of interest to our readers.

Photo stories, art, writer profiles, book reviews, interviews and critical essays may be submitted to the editor@african-writing.com. The editor will happily receive queries.

Visit Website for more information.

Best new queer African short fiction – Call Out

Storymoja — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:29:51 +0000

Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action, the pioneering, highly regarded South African gay and lesbian archives, invites African writers to submit stories on a queer African theme for publishing in a ground-breaking anthology. Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action intends the anthology to query stereotypes, show that there are many ways of being queer in Africa, and encourage queer artistic expression and appreciation. Literary merit and an insightful response to the complexities of African queerness will guide the selection.

GALA

Submit your unpublished short fiction of between 1,000 and 5,000 words toqueerafricanfiction@gmail.com by 30 June 2010. Provide a covering page with the title of the story, your first name and surname, your email address and a contact telephone number, and a bio of not more than 100 words. All submissions will be acknowledged.

The selection will be made by 30 September 2010, and writers will work with an editor to refine their stories for publishing in June 2011. The anthology will be launched at the 2011 Cape Town Book Fair and will be distributed locally, in Africa and internationally. With writers’ permissions, all submissions will be archived by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action and will be accessible to the archives’ many local and international users.

For more information check out the Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action website at www.gala.co.za, or email queerafricanfiction@gmail.com.

Film Producer Wanted: CWS-FilmAid International

Storymoja — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:17:25 +0000

Position: Film Producer

CWS-FilmAid International (FilmAid) invites applications from qualified Kenyans to fill the above position. The position will involve extensive work in Kibera, Naivasha, Eldoret and Kisumu.

FilmAid International is a non-governmental organization that uses film to promote health, strengthen communities and enrich the lives of the world’s vulnerable and uprooted. FilmAid is currently implementing programmes in Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya.

Project Objectives

1. Produce together with the youth a 30-60 minute film on issues relating to youth participation on mitigating inter-ethnic violence, understanding critical issues pertaining to leadership, civic affairs and reform and highlighting shared concerns among youth from different ethnic and geographical background.

2. Promote dialogue on inter-ethnic violence, critical issues pertaining to leadership, civic affairs and reform, shared concerns among youth from different ethnic and geographical background.

Specific Tasks

1. Will be required to conceptualize the stories and work together with the program manager, program coordinator, relevant project staff to determine the viability of the stories while taking into account the target audiences.

2. Work with the project manager to coordinate the scripting of the film segments form the different locations by liaising with the youth leaders the program coordinator and the relevant staff and ensuring participatory approach in the development of the film.

3. Working together with the program manager to develop a work schedule and a working budget for the production process and keeping track of production in line with the laid down budget.

4. Ensure a community based approach and a participatory methodology in all activities and a timely completion of deliverables.

5. Work together with the program manager, the relevant FilmAid program staff to select actors, interviewees, and locations, and organize for the recording of content for the film.

6. Supervise a team of screening crew and ensure positive team atmosphere and team-building relationships, and provide appropriate support to them.

7. Organize for a feedback session on the rough cuts with the youth representatives in the different locations to ensure involvement of the target group in the process.

8. Together with the program manager, ensure that the final video products are to the satisfactory standards and are approved by youth leaders, program coordinator and country manager.

9. Organize for the review of the same content by the program manager, coordinator and country manger and the youth leaders to ensure proper feedback from the target audiences.

10. Work closely with the program manager in providing regular updates of the production through quantitative and qualitative reports.

11. Supervision of usage and protocol of all project equipment and supplies. Ensure all FilmAid facilities in the field are well maintained and equipped

12. Create and maintain an environment that is free from sexual exploitation and abuse to beneficiaries of the program and report any suspected violations of the Code of Conduct as per the FAI reporting procedures.

Time Frame

The producer will be engaged for three (3) months.

Required knowledge skills and abilities

1. In depth Knowledge of Research work, Civic education and current political agendas in focus among the Kenyan youth.

2. Sufficient knowledge of Conflict resolution techniques in relation to peace and reconciliation with a bias to youth empowerment

3. Working knowledge of planning, budgeting, supervision of production process.

4. Must have executed minimum of 3 projects of similar nature to promote social development and empowerment.

5. Over 5 years of experiences in film making. Experience of success story/stories would be an added advantage.

6. Knowledge on scripting will be an added advantage Please email applications with ONLY COVER LETTER, CV AND 3 REFERENCES ASAP to: smotieno@filmaid.org

Applications to be submitted through email only by latest 19th March 2010

Call for applications- 2010 MILEAD Fellows

Storymoja — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:43:04 +0000

MILEAD Fellows Program

Fellows

Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa is pleased to announce its call for applications for the 2010 Moremi Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) Fellows Program for young African women leaders.

The MILEAD Fellows Program is a one-year leadership development program designed to identify, develop and promote emerging young African Women leaders to attain and succeed in leadership in their community and Africa as a whole. The one-year program targets dynamic young women interested in developing transformational leadership skills that help them tackle issues affecting women in their communities.

The MILEAD fellowship will be awarded to 25 young women with exceptional qualities who have exhibited leadership potential in their community, organization, and/or profession.

To be eligible for the one-year program, an applicant

-must be African, living on the continent or in the Diaspora;

-agree to participate in all required activities related to MILEAD including a three-week residential Summer Institute in July-August;

-commit implement a community project as part of the progr

-must be between 19 – 25 years of age.

Specific requirements of the program and related dates are outlined in the application package.

Please note that this is not a full-time fellowship. Selected candidates may remain full time students or work full time for the program duration, except during the 3–week summer institute. The 3-week summer institute is an intensive and full-time residential program and all fellows will be required to attend. The rest of the program involves community-based, online and other distance activities.

Applications are welcome from young African women living in any part of Africa and the Diaspora. There are three ways to apply. Applicants can

*click here fill out online application; *

* Click here to download application form- email or mail in completed application to info@moremiinitiative.org or to the mailing address below.

Application package is available at: www.moremiinitiative.org.

The deadline for completed MILEAD Fellows applications to be submitted for review is March 31, 2010. Interested applicants should submit the following materials by the application deadline:

1. Completed MILEAD Application Form

2. Resumé/Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)

3. Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic contacts

For more applications or information, please contact:

MILEAD Program Coordinator

Email: info@moremiinitiatives.org

Tel: +233 21 770 736 Ghana) or +1 404 826 2942 (USA)

www.moremiinitiative.org

Note: Applications will only be reviewed upon receiving all four documents. All forms must be received by March 31, 2010 to be considered for review and selection. Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decision by May 12, 2010.