Goethe-Institut Writer’s Residency for African Writers Under 40, Slated To Hold In Burkina Faso (Awards: €1,500) / How To Apply

Young African writers are invited to apply for the Goethe-Institut/ Bureau de liaison Ouagadougouwriter’s residency program. No submission fee is required of entrants, plus awardees will be paid a grant of 1,500 Euro during their 4-week stay at Burkina Faso. This program will run for most of 2019/20.

Deadline for applications: Sunday, 7th July 2019 (23:59 GMT +0)

Eligibility Guidelines:

• Only African writers are eligible (you have to be African either by birth or by naturalization)
• Entrants must be (less than 40 years
• Available to travel to Burkina Faso from November, 2019.
• Have at least one published text, either with a publisher or a newspaper,
  on a blog or website or as a self-publication

There are no genre restrictions. Poets, essayists, novelists, dramatists, comic writers and everyone in the business of storytelling are welcome to apply.
Every resident MUST produce a text during the residency program.

According to the press release,

The texts produced will be published at the end of 2020, either in physical or digital version.

What’s the aim of the Goethe-Institut Writer’s Residency In Burkina Faso?

The residency program seeks to provide a platform for free expression
– to writers who project the vision of (another) future in their writings,
– to writers who have restrictions of expression in their country of origin,
– to activist writers who express themselves in relation to social and/ or political transformations and challenges in their countries.

 

General Terms of Goethe-Institut Writer’s Residency In Burkina Faso.

• There will be 2 or 3 residencies of 4 weeks in Ouagadougou in 2019/20
• 3 authors will be invited to each residency program (1 from Burkina Faso, 2 from other African countries)
• There will be meetings and working sessions with professional writers from Burkina Faso and other African countries
• Residents will be invited to hold public reading sessions
• Writers MUST produce a text.
• Texts produced during the residency will be published in 2020
• Assumption of the costs for transportation (from home country to Burkina Faso) and visa

What will selected writers receive?

Selected writers will receive the following:

• Accommodation and feeding during the 4 weeks residency
• A grant of 1.500 Euro for the residency period (this includes the per diem and private transport). Payments will be made in two installments.

How to Apply For The Goethe-Institut Writer’s Residency In Burkina Faso for African Writers.

To be considered for this residency program, you’ll have to:

1. submit the following materials:

• Letter of motivation (specify your career as an author, your personal situation, what you hope to achieve during the residency and your reasons for wanting to attend the residency program.
• A project proposal (this is a brief description of the project you intend to develop during the residency)
• A Curriculum Vitae
• A full biography (max. 500 words)
• PDF or links of previously published works

You might be interested in reading  How To Write A Short Author’s Bio: The Do’s and Don’ts of Introducing Yourself

2. Send the aforementioned application materials as an email attachment to:

• Carolin Christgau, Director Goethe-Institut:
  carolin.christgau@goethe.de
• and Francois d’Assise Ouédraogo, Assistant Goethe-Institut:
  programm-ouagadougou@goethe.de

3. All applications must be sent before the Sunday, 7th July 2019 (23:59 GMT +0) deadline.

Judges and Selection Panel:

An external jury of three professional authors will make the selections and final decisions. The names of these authors haven’t yet been disclosed.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, 7th July 2019 (23:59 GMT +0)

Good luck.

Got more questions? Forward all inquiries to Carolin Christgau, Director Goethe-Institut: carolin.christgau@goethe.de