Together with the Ford Foundation, we are establishing a special fund to support the work of independent creative writers living on the continent. This investment recognizes the vital role that poets and novelists play in Africa by anticipating and reflecting the cultural, economic, and political forces that continuously shape and reshape our societies. The fund will offer health insurance, fellowships, and nine-month residencies at Per Sesh, a writing center directed by Ayi Kwei Armah, the acclaimed Ghanaian author, in the seaside village of Popenguine, Senegal.

The four current writers-in-residence are Ayesha Attah (Ghana), Binetou Toure (Senegal), Harouna Sakho (Senegal), and Sidy Sow (Senegal). They follow Mildred Barya (Uganda), Emmanuel Egya Sule (Nigeria), and Aissatou Ka (Senegal), who were writers-in-residence the previous year.

Read Sule's essay about the initiative, published in the debut issue of African Writing.