At Africa Writes we are excited about developing our offer to schools and inspiring the writers of the future.
Inspiring young writers
This year Africa Writes invites budding writers in secondary schools to take part in exciting and inspiring creative writing workshops. Led by professional facilitators, the workshops are open to students of all abilities and are designed to boost students’ confidence in their own creative contributions. Using African art forms such as proverbs, photography and music as a stimulus, we aim to inspire students to express themselves freely and create their own piece of poetry or fiction.
Flash Fiction
Friday 1 July , 11:00am – 12:30pm
Eliot/ Ogot Room, British Library
Creative Writing inspired by Malick Sidibe
‘I’m mainly interested in capturing joyful moments, joy and pleasure.’
A creative writing session inspired by the work of Malick Sidibe, the celebrated Malian portrait photographer. Famed for capturing the joy and pride of the people of Bamako in the wake of independence, Malick Sidibe took pictures at parties, dances and in his own portrait studio, where people posed proud, keen to show their best side. But what are the stories behind the photographs? What would those voices say if they could speak to us?
Become an author for the morning and join facilitator Joanna Brown for this story-writing workshop: an exploratory session using music and photography to spark your creativity and inspire innovative short stories.
For Year 7 and 8 students (maximum 30 participants)
Proverbs and Poetry
Friday 1 July, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Bronte/ Bâ Room A, British Library
Proverbs and sayings are great, not just because they show the values of a culture, but also because their authorship is unknown: they belong to everybody, forming an oral literature of the people.
No matter how hot your anger is, it cannot cook yams. – Nigeria
To run is not necessarily to arrive – Swahili
In this dynamic workshop we invite you to explore the deep creativity of various African proverbs, as you bring your own favourite sayings into the room and leave having created entirely new ones.
With Barbican Young Poet facilitators Victoria-Anne Bulley & Michelle Tiwo.
For Year 9 students (maximum 30 participants)
Preparation: Please ask each student to bring one proverb or saying written clearly on a piece of paper
Notes to teachers
If you would like to offer your students a free creative writing session at Africa Writes, and are interested in bringing a school group to one of the above workshops, please contact Joanna Brown at Africa Writes by emailing africawritesldn@gmail.com or call 0203 073 8337.