COAL Newsletter, April 2024

From Literacy Org to Campaigning against Avoidable Deaths, who is COALNG?

Hey there,

March was a month for us this last quarter, from celebrating and launching our biggest International campaign on National Women’s Day, to the month-long campaign on AVOIDABLE Disaster Deaths and getting published in an international magazine! We know you may have wondered if COAL is now a health-based organization.

Borrowing the words of Dr. Dotun Reju from the just concluded webinar on amplifying youth voice in global advocacy initiatives, he said, “We need to move beyond the number of engagement, clicks, and excitement. Until awareness goes outside our communities and beyond to influence policies and decisions.”

The month-long campaign has come to an end and our core values remain the same; empowering youth through alternative education and literacy development. There’s still so much to do, to empower youths to participate in decision-making and use their voice for social change. That’s who COAL is, finding ways to empower youth voices for actions that affect them personally in their communities. This is in line with our mission to spotlight excellence in our communities and the continent at large.

In This Letter

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVE IN AFRICA
RECOMMENDED READING FOR APRIL

WHAT’S NEW ✨

Storytelling Is A Powerful Tool; How do we utilize it?
RESOURCES FOR WRITERS; the Lettermans Story
AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

YOU SHOULD BE READING 📣

Rediscovering Magical Realism in Nigerian Literature

WHAT IS NEW?

KABAFEST IS COMING SOON

Make a difference in 3 minutes

How does a few lines of poetry or a story change the world?

In a world with increasing interconnectedness through technology, encouraging awareness through storytelling is imperative. In a dynamic landscape of society, technology and humanity converge to create a harmonious and sustainable society, and storytelling as an art form takes center stage. Connecting us to our roots, our emotions, and values. Psychologists like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi use the concept of ‘flow’ to describe the activity of creative actions leading to a higher sense of well-being and fulfillment.

Transformative art creates a space with purpose. That is why storytelling is a powerful tool as it can educate, inspire, and make people feel emotions that draw them to take action by creating a sense of solidarity and shared purpose. Engaging with various forms of storytelling like poetry, visual art, music, etc from different cultures broadens one’s perspective and encourages more inclusive world views.

In Africa, the creative industry is a source of job creation and innovative tools. However, the power that accompanies the result of increased awareness of the impact of the creative industry should not be underestimated. The desired results of these creative expressions are to move beyond persona and power and to move toward transformation.

According to UNESCO the creative industry employs and provides opportunities for the largest number of young people under 30, accounting for 48 million jobs globally. The creative economy is one of the most rapidly growing sectors in the global economy, offering new and high-growth opportunities, especially for developing and emerging countries. It contributes to meeting the sustainable development goals by generating income and export earnings, and by creating jobs, the creative economy can help diversify production, build competitive advantage, attract investment, support entrepreneurship and innovation, and promote cultural diversity and well-being according to the creative economy outlook report 2022 by UNCTAD.

Why Do Stories Work:

Our goal as a non-profit is to make sure young people have the opportunity to tell important stories and gain market and financial access to their creative works. Our literary bookstore and signature open mic are examples of this. Open mics offer the Gen Zs something they are longing for. Something timeless that speaks to loneliness, and the need for connection. In 2023 alone, we engaged 56 young creatives in our open mic event and the testimonials are proof that stories matter.

In our recent campaign against Avoidable deaths, a volunteer wrote to us after watching the campaign on YouTube “Great story, excellent visuals- a great way to campaign and do awareness if you ask me.” This goes to show that the creative economy provides all countries, particularly developing economies, with a feasible option for development in various sectors.

Every year young creatives and enthusiasts look forward to our one-of-a-kind OPEN MIC events because we hand them a tool that can potentially change stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions about people, breaking barriers informing change, and building an Inclusive society.

Get involved, and join COAL by signing up here as a volunteer, if you’re an artist, writer, or performer we have something just for you, join our open mic event; a platform where you can showcase your skills, network with industry experts, get valuable feedback and access opportunities for growth. There is sure ample time to change the world through the power of transformative storytelling.

OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATIVE

Call for submission: Mulberry Literary Deadline: Midnight May 1st 2024

Mulberry Literary: Call for all creative media

SUBMISSIONS FOR MULBERRY LITERARY ARE OPEN.

Submissions for Issue VIII open at midnight (CST/CDT) on MARCH 1, 2024, and close at midnight (CST/CDT) on MAY 1, 2024.

Mulberry accepts all creative media—from prose, flash, poetry, script, and comics, to film, music, visual art, dance, and everything in between. Cross-genre, experimental, and hybrid work are always welcome, as well as excerpts of longer pieces.

If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student you’re also eligible to submit your application. Please visit the official website here MULBERRY LITERARY:CALL FOR SUBMISSION

CALL FOR SUBMISSION The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition Deadline: 15 May 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 asks entrants to consider how they deal with adversity, and how community and culture can be used to encourage resilience and hope in a world with a growing number of global issues.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now open for entries until 15 May 2024.

Please follow this link to submit your entries

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Tejumola Olaniyan creative writers-in-residence fellowship Deadline: June 1st, 2024

Applications are now open for the 2024 Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship, organized by The Africa Institute as part of its African Languages and Translation Program.

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

Please follow the guidelines for submission here.

Call for application Mandela Rhodes Scholarship 2024-2025 Deadline: April 24, 2024

The scholarship combines financial support with a leadership program that will challenge you, grow you, and connect you to young African changemakers - just like you.

Find out more and apply for the MMathendelaMandela Rhodes scholarship

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS The annual Bash Amuneni prize for performance poetry Deadline: 29th APRIL 2024

Apply for the Bash Amuneni prize for Poetry Performance 2024

The theme of Poetry for Climate change

To register, submit a one-minute video on the theme. Post on social media and tag @bashamuneni and @bashamuneniprize on any social media platform.

To find more information send an email: to bashamunenipoetryprize@gmail.com

CALL FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Deadline: April 15, 2024

The Safe Photography Project Contest.

Restless Development is issuing a call to discover 12 young creatives (aged 18-24) from all regions, who will each craft a photo essay capturing what “safe” signifies to them and their communities.

Apply for the exhibition here SAFE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS WEEK

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVES

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Book O’Clock Anniversary Prize 2.0: Open for Submissions DEADLINE: APRIL 29TH

This year the Prize is asking students to join us in using art to foster the least focused aspect of SDG 3 “Health and Well-being”: Mental Health.

Tagged “What’s On Your Mind?”, it is a writing and performance contest aimed at platforming teens and young adults and encouraging their expressions.

Make sure to read the guidelines here BOOK O’CLOCK ANNIVERSARY PRIZE and apply.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Apply to be a Business Development Associate at the Open Arts DeFoundationFoundation Deadline: Rolling

Open Arts seeks to hire a Business Development Associate to drive new business development, coordinate marketing efforts, and pursue diverse income sources so we are as sustainable as possible. Ideal candidates will have experience in development, philanthropy, and/or corporate sponsorships and business development.

Check the job description and apply here OPEN ARTS if you think you qualify for this role.

CALL FOR LITERARY SUBMISSIONS Deadline: Rolling

Trampset Journal is a literary journal dedicated to showcasing short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from diverse voices.

Trampset accepts short fiction (including short stories, flash fiction, and excerpts from longer works), nonfiction (such as personal essays, flash fiction, and cultural criticism), and poetry.

Prose submissions should not exceed 3,000 words, while poetry submissions should contain no more than three poems in a single document.

For any questions or concerns, please email them at trampset@outlook.com.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Open Arts Manuscript Publishing Deal Deadline: May 31, 2024

Open Arts invites women writers from Northern Nigeria to submit their fiction or nonfiction manuscripts in English or Hausa for a publishing deal.

Selected women writers from Northern Nigeria will be paid a token for their manuscripts, benefit from intensive workshops, mentorship programs, networking opportunities, and literary events, and will have their books published in either English or Hausa to a global audience.

For more information about submission please visit OPEN ARTS MANUSCRIPT PUBLISHING DEAL

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS DEADLINE: April 15, 2024. SPRING WRITING FELLOWSHIP 2024 Deadline: April 15, 2024

Applications for the 2024 Sprinng Writing Fellowship will close on Monday, 15th April 2024.

The Spring Writing Fellowship (SWF) is an intensive 6-week online mentorship program for developing Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, and South African writers with great potential and willingness to learn

Writers between the ages of 18 and 25 in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Liberia are eligible to apply!

Apply for the SPRING WRITING FELLOWSHIP

Call for Entries Quramo writers prize Deadline: 31st May 2024.

Get Your Manuscripts Into Shape. It’s that time of the year again! Yet another opportunity to make your literary and publishing dreams come true. Quramo Publishing Ltd. (QPL) is officially accepting entries for the 8th edition of its annual Quramo Writers’ Prize (QWP) from Friday, 1 March 2024.

For the Quramo Writers Prize 2024, we are inviting unpublished Nigerian and African writers to submit a fiction prose manuscript. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who is a national of an African country, with a parent who is African by birth or nationality. The Prize is awarded to a fiction prose manuscript by an African writer published in English, whether they reside in Africa or elsewhere. Each entry must be an original, unpublished work.

Eligibility: Open worldwide to unpublished Nigerian and African writers. Self-published, independently published, or Electronically published are also not eligible.

Find all the information here Writing Writing Prize

CALL FOR SUBMISSION Deadline: May 1st, 2024

To celebrate Wole Soyinka the literary Legend at 90, Onyeka Nwelue has opened entries for all writers and poets to submit poems, non-fiction, and eulogies not more than 700 words to: Onyekanwelue@kabalnmundagency.com and win amazing prizes.

For more information please follow

Call for Artists: Deadline: Rolling AFRICA CREATIVE TOURISM PLUS CONFERENCE

ACT+CON is also a platform for tech, photographers, videographers, creatives, and tourism enthusiasts to gain opportunities, and innovation and harness their creativity.

It is also a place to engage with new and emerging creatives alongside known creatives.ACT+ CON focuses on developing opportunities for our community. “Our community will encourage diversity, creativity, and critical thinking, aiming to challenge boundaries”

If you’re in Jos and environs and would like to showcase or exhibit your talent apply to be part of ACT+CON.

For inquiries, sponsorship, and partnership email africacreativetourismplus@gmail.com

Fill out the form to be part of the conference ACT+CON

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS GRIST IMAGINE 2200 CLIMATE FICTION FOR FUTURE ANCESTORS DEADLINE: JUNE 24TH,2023

Grist is excited to open submissions for the fourth year of our Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors short story contest.

Imagine 2200 celebrates stories that envision the next decades to centuries of equitable climate progress, imagining futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope. We are looking for stories that are rooted in creative climate solutions and community-centered resilience, showing what can happen as solutions take root, and stories that offer gripping plots with rich characters and settings, making that future come alive.

Your submission must be an original fictional story of between 2,500 and 5,000 words that has not been previously published.

Visit the website GRIST SUBMISSION and follow the guidelines

Call For Entries Deadline:April 29th, 2024 Kaba Fest writing workshop

Join the exclusive writing workshop this May at the Kaduna Books and Arts Festival on the 1st of May 2024.

Join this workshop and learn how to connect, engage, and grow a community of book influencers. Apply on the website here KABA FEST WRITING WORKSHOP

AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

This April our author of the month is ABUBAKAR ADAM IBRAHIM for his remarkable work on fiction ‘When We Were Fireflies’ and ‘Dreams and Assorted Nightmares’. A compelling Nigerian Author, after winning the prestigious Nigerian Prize for Literature in 2016 for ‘ Seasons of Crimson Blossoms’, he followed that almost immediately with ‘Dreams and Assorted Nightmares’. His current bestseller ‘When We Were Fireflies’ is burning up bestsellers and has been hailed an instant classic.

He is known for his brilliant storytelling and skill in writing short stories. He has been praised for writings that highlight relevant stories of Northern Nigeria. He is currently a PhD student at IOWA University and before that, he worked for over a decade as an award-winning journalist, rising fast to the position of General Features Editor at one of Nigeria’s biggest newspapers, DAILY TRUST he sits on the editorial board and writes a weekly general interest column. Ibrahim’s reporting from North-East Nigeria has won particular critical acclaim. In May 2018 he was announced as the winner of the Michael Elliot Award for Excellence in African Storytelling, awarded by the International Center for Journalists, for his report “All That Was Familiar”, published in Granta magazine in May 2017. He is a recipient of other prestigious literary prizes and nominations.

Get his bestseller from the COAL Bookstore.

The Battle between TikTok and traditional reading habits.

Is TikTok taking over traditional books?

The big question is this: “Is our reading culture going to survive the next generation?” Read it here

TikTok is a place where creativity thrives and originality is rewarded, some say it has become more than just a social media platform. It has become an interconnected creative canvas for everyone, creative or not.

A platform that is constantly evolving. Everyone has the potential to go “viral” with bite-sized entertainment and learning, creatives have 15 to 60 secs to draw you in and the algorithm works to keep you coming back for more as creatives try to inspire you with their authenticity and brevity. It almost seems like everyone is on steroids.

Personally, since the inception of 60-90secs videos, I can’t seem to watch anything longer than two minutes and if I must, I must watch at 1.3x speed.

Does this affect our reading culture, are books going to be read anymore? As a lover of books, I know the benefits of reading, not only does it make you smarter and more confident, it affects your personal and professional life, as a young child, I read to experience other worlds which I might not be privileged to live in, it helped me develop empathy for others, sought new perspective on solving problems and improving my reasoning skills. Despite all this, book reading has slowed down since the pandemic, with decreased attention span with the surge in streaming platforms and digital content like TikTok.

Ironically, some testimonies might shock you. For starters, in more recent times it’s Tik tok and other platforms that have brought increased awareness in the reading culture space with ‘bookmakers’ and ‘bookstagrammers’ using their platforms to draw people in and mostly GenZ who through Tik tok and other streaming platforms was bitten by their first reading bug and that appeal has gone on to create diverse less traditional book lovers who are at the same time are creating a niche of modern and interactive reading culture. This is a win-win for the literary community both authors and publishers alike.

It doesn’t matter how a book is read, traditionally at the desk or on the go on an audiobook or reading fan fiction or poetry. The goal is to get more people reading and that is what TikTok and other book influencers have done.

Ultimately, in a dynamic time like this, the reading culture as we know it has evolved through the years and the goal is to get more young people to read. We might be facing the challenge of a shorter attention span as a community but we have to look at the bright side.

TikTok prides itself as a platform that inspires and promotes authenticity, the solution is to get more book lovers to promote book content on these streaming platforms and draw their tribe in as we have seen communities inspire trends and start movements by telling authentic stories full of humor,r, Joy, and courage. There’s an opportunity to spark interest in books by telling these stories on platforms where young people live nowadays.

RESOURCES FOR NEW WRITERS.

The Letterman Journey;

We interviewed Tongial a fresh new author who just published his first book a few months ago and asked him everything from how he found the idea of a book, his creative process, publishing and editing, and also most importantly staying afloat as an author.

Tongial Wunkagha Nungbulla on the LetterMan Journey

Tongjal Wungakha Nungbulla is a TRCN-certified teacher, freelance writer, book designer, and tutor. Popularly called LetterMan, he is the founder of RANDOM DESPATCHES and runs a newsletter on Substack called LetterMan Despatches. He works with Walking Together and Campus Missions and Leadership Initiative (CMLi). His debut book The University Library earned him the Author of the Year Award of the Plateau Man of the Year Awards (9th edition). He is a graduate of integrated science education from the University of Jos and has a deep interest in libraries, documentation, publishing, and data analysis.

1. Your book has a fresh new perspective on the idea of a university library. Where did the idea for the book come from?

R: While I may not be able to explicitly answer the question of where the idea came from, I can describe the circumstances around the time I started writing the book. However, I believe everything I own was given to me by God. In 2021, I had just resolved to be more consistent in practicing my craft (writing)—that is, daily. The plan was to write a review of each day in my journal in the form of a narrative essay. The first piece after that commitment is now the first chapter of my debut book The University Library. After writing the first two chapters of the book—both recollections of my experiences at the University of Jos Library—there was a break in my visit to the university library for a while. The rest of the book collections of experiences I had in the library on subsequent visits after the break since the first two chapters. In that season, I left the library after each visit with a story to write.

2. It’s not always common to find a young author like yourself who writes a sort of creative work focused on young people. Can you tell us a little bit about your book: The University Library

It is a piece of creative nonfiction. It is a collection of narratives of unforgettable interactions in the University of Jos Library. The book subtly claims that a library is not just a place where books are kept; it is also a place where relationships are formed. My writing style is my uniqueness.

3. What would you say is the best resource for emerging young writers living in Nigeria and where can they find these resources?

R: The best resource for writers anywhere in the world is a library, wherever you find books and a pen. Stephen King said writers do two things most—read a lot and write a lot. A library gives you access to books and writing materials at no cost. Where young writers living in Nigeria can find libraries? Some have a personal library in their neighborhood, there’s one in their school, some communities have a library, and the National Library of Nigeria has branches in over 34 states in Nigeria. They can build a library for themselves—as simple as a collection of authors they appreciate.

4. How do you navigate being a writer as a young person, most young people are drawn to more luxurious/ opulent careers.

R: Writing is two things to me—an effective means of communication and a gift. I choose to hone my gifts (talents and abilities) over chasing luxurious careers

5. What is the journey like after you finish writing your book, finding funding, building a community, seeking publishers and editors, etc?

R: I had been a member of literary communities in my city before writing my book. I joined Punchline Poetry Society (PPS) and Book-Troverts in 2018 and built good relationships with creators there. Finding editors and beta readers for my manuscript wasn’t a struggle. My publisher took interest in my book after it was first released as an ebook in 2022. He offered me a very affordable publishing deal, and the funds were raised by my parents and some friends, including subscribers to my newsletter on Substack called LetterMan Despatches.

6. What would you say is the biggest challenge as a writer living in Nigeria?

R: The biggest challenge for me as a writer living in Nigeria is the perception people have of writers here. They hardly see a promise in writing as a career, and so it takes a lot of effort and persistence to help them see.

7. We receive your newsletter every other week and it’s refreshing to read. How do you meet so many characters who play a big role in your community?

R: Meeting, especially new people is a hobby for me. Consequently, conversations too. So, whenever I am out there at a gathering, I am always expectant to meet a new person. Most times I reach out first, and that usually begins with the person sitting next to me.

How African authors are rediscovering Magical Realism

This literary phenomenon, which involves the interweaving of magical elements with the ordinary, has been revived by African writers in a captivating manner. African societies are uniquely poised to embrace the confluence of reality and magic. The lines are often blurred, in our daily activities as Africans our belief system has melded the various layers of life; our observable reality, the spiritual, and the magical.

In recent years there has been a dynamic evolution of storytelling traditions in the global landscape of contemporary literature. Africa has long embraced this changing narrative by exploring different genres and experimenting with them. In African Literature, some authors like Nnedi Okoroafor, whose work has been praised for exploring weighty social issues such as racial and gender inequality, political violence, corruption, and genocide through the framework of fantasy. Magical Realism explores our dynamic society and belief systems in Africa which is an integral part of our experiences by mirroring the continent’sheriandandgeand striving for political and social transformation.

With integral themes such as questions on existentialism in Adam Abubakar Ibrahim’s “When We Were Fireflies to an Identity Crisis and Mental Health by Akwaeke Emezi. These authors have done excellent work in exporting our beliefs with books with ogbanje or Abiku themes, witchcraft, and sorcery. It is as if we are exporting our witchcraft and spirituality and this is important.

As these young writers explore deeper into our culture and beliefs it widens the understanding of many mysteries left uncovered in our traditions and opens them up to discussion. As humans, we are constantly looking for an escape from the limitations of reality. These captivating works of literature provide a portal yet untapped.

NEWS:

Don’t miss KABAFEST in May

KABAFEST is hosting one of the biggest book and art festivals in Nigeria in May. With a long list of Nigerian authors, poets, creatives, and important stakeholders from 1st-4th May 2023.

Opening first with an exclusive writing workshop with some of the Nigerian finest authors. It provides an opportunity to grow one’s writing skills as well as explore the theme of building a community of book influencers.

Kaduna Books and Art Festival (KABAFEST) was founded in 2017 by Lola Shoneyin. It stands as a vibrant celebration of literature, art, and culture in the northern part of Nigeria. Year after year, this festival captivates minds and hearts, bringing together a diverse array of writers, artists, and enthusiasts from across the country and beyond.

Find the guidelines to Register for the writing workshop Here. Join KABAFEST this year and participate in other lineup activities Here