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The Africa Institute’s Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence fellows mark the completion of their three months residency with a presentation showcase of their projects on November 14, 2022.

Launched in 2021, Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship is created in honor of the late Nigerian Professor Tejumola Olaniyan and his remarkable intellectual legacy in the field of African literature and critical theory. The fellowship is part of the African Languages and Translation Program that aims to nurture creative writers including novelists, short story writers, playwrights, poets and scriptwriters related to Africa and the African diaspora.

The first cohort of residents awarded in the fall of 2022 were: Independent cinematic practitioner and cultural worker, Ruun Nuur; Actress and theatre maker, Leanetse Seekoe and screenwriter, Sara Yassi.

Ruun Nuur shared her progress and vision as she chronicles Somali national cinema. “My fellowship project titled, ‘From the Margins to the Center – Chronicling Somali National Cinema’ focuses on the multi-functional creative writing I’m developing that includes, but is not limited to exploring key thesis questions in my documentary, the cycles of social control, and the ongoing cinematic scholarship. It’s with that grounding my work during this course of the fellowship means to push Somali cinematic scholarship from the margins to the center of the frame, activating what it means to propel marginalized people and art to the nucleus of the lens.” said Nuur who is a filmmaker hyper focused on Muslim and African narratives.

Actress, playwright, theatremaker, and academic, Leanetse Seekoe shared her inspiration, progress, and excerpts of her play titled, ‘Like Pieces,’ that compare black identities and black relationships to broken pieces of glass. “I’ve been working on my play, Like Pieces during the fellowship with the focus on building strong characters that showcase how black identities identify with trauma and other effects of mental illness that keep black women and men apart. The play advocates for healing and education on empowering the black self, specifically the body’s desire to be healed,”

“I believe that our bodies can express every kind of emotion – even stillness. I use movement and physical theatre to express the need for the African body to unlearn fears induced by inherited traumas. The play aims to question whether mental illnesses in black relationships can hinder love or be tamed by it.” added Seekoe, who won the Goethe Institut Project Space award for her play “4 Cups” which was reworked as a four-woman performance and premiered at Moses Molelekwa Art Centre in 2022.

Sara Yassi is a screenwriter and an aspiring author of Algerian heritage hailing from the East End of London who draws heavy inspiration from her personal stories and particular interests in the female African diasporic experience, the concept of belonging through the paradigm of faith and identity as well as spirituality in and around the Indian Ocean.

“My fellowship is dedicated to a debut collection of short fiction titled, ‘The Last Sunset in Zanzibar’ which is based on my travels and findings. My work will explore Generation-Z perspectives of diasporic African identity through themes self-love, belonging, and loss,” said Yassi.

“As a love letter to Zanzibar and its people I have been crafting a range of stories that celebrate and honour the beauty and elements of magic that exist throughout the island. The Tejumola Olaniyan Fellowship has allowed me to flesh out my stories and bring characters to life that would have stay in occupied rooms in my mind. It’s with the assistance and encouragement of other fellows and faculty that I’ve also grappled with questions of belonging and diasporic identity that feature heavily throughout the stories. For that, I am eternally in gratitude to The Africa Institute.” she added.

Each fellow presented their work completed, their challenges and future plans of their respective projects. They also expressed sincere gratitude to The Africa Institute for the opportunity and support through the residency.

The session was closed with a moderated panel with an audience made up of senior faculty and visiting fellows. The discussion was chaired by Professors Naminata Diabate, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow for Global African Studies, The Africa Institute and Surafel Wondimu Abebe, Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Theory, The Africa Institute.

 

The Africa Institute’s Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence fellows mark the completion of their three months residency with a presentation showcase of their projects on November 14, 2022.

The Africa Institute’s Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence fellows mark the completion of their three months residency with a presentation showcase of their projects on November 14, 2022.

Launched in 2021, Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship is created in honor of the late Nigerian Professor Tejumola Olaniyan and his remarkable intellectual legacy in the field of African literature and critical theory. The fellowship is part of the African Languages and Translation Program that aims to nurture creative writers including novelists, short story writers, playwrights, poets and scriptwriters related to Africa and the African diaspora.

The first cohort of residents awarded in the fall of 2022 were: Independent cinematic practitioner and cultural worker, Ruun Nuur; Actress and theatre maker, Leanetse Seekoe and screenwriter, Sara Yassi.

Ruun Nuur shared her progress and vision as she chronicles Somali national cinema. “My fellowship project titled, ‘From the Margins to the Center – Chronicling Somali National Cinema’ focuses on the multi-functional creative writing I’m developing that includes, but is not limited to exploring key thesis questions in my documentary, the cycles of social control, and the ongoing cinematic scholarship. It’s with that grounding my work during this course of the fellowship means to push Somali cinematic scholarship from the margins to the center of the frame, activating what it means to propel marginalized people and art to the nucleus of the lens.” said Nuur who is a filmmaker hyper focused on Muslim and African narratives.

Actress, playwright, theatremaker, and academic, Leanetse Seekoe shared her inspiration, progress, and excerpts of her play titled, ‘Like Pieces,’ that compare black identities and black relationships to broken pieces of glass. “I’ve been working on my play, Like Pieces during the fellowship with the focus on building strong characters that showcase how black identities identify with trauma and other effects of mental illness that keep black women and men apart. The play advocates for healing and education on empowering the black self, specifically the body’s desire to be healed,”

“I believe that our bodies can express every kind of emotion – even stillness. I use movement and physical theatre to express the need for the African body to unlearn fears induced by inherited traumas. The play aims to question whether mental illnesses in black relationships can hinder love or be tamed by it.” added Seekoe, who won the Goethe Institut Project Space award for her play “4 Cups” which was reworked as a four-woman performance and premiered at Moses Molelekwa Art Centre in 2022.

Sara Yassi is a screenwriter and an aspiring author of Algerian heritage hailing from the East End of London who draws heavy inspiration from her personal stories and particular interests in the female African diasporic experience, the concept of belonging through the paradigm of faith and identity as well as spirituality in and around the Indian Ocean.

“My fellowship is dedicated to a debut collection of short fiction titled, ‘The Last Sunset in Zanzibar’ which is based on my travels and findings. My work will explore Generation-Z perspectives of diasporic African identity through themes self-love, belonging, and loss,” said Yassi.

“As a love letter to Zanzibar and its people I have been crafting a range of stories that celebrate and honour the beauty and elements of magic that exist throughout the island. The Tejumola Olaniyan Fellowship has allowed me to flesh out my stories and bring characters to life that would have stay in occupied rooms in my mind. It’s with the assistance and encouragement of other fellows and faculty that I’ve also grappled with questions of belonging and diasporic identity that feature heavily throughout the stories. For that, I am eternally in gratitude to The Africa Institute.” she added.

Each fellow presented their work completed, their challenges and future plans of their respective projects. They also expressed sincere gratitude to The Africa Institute for the opportunity and support through the residency.

The session was closed with a moderated panel with an audience made up of senior faculty and visiting fellows. The discussion was chaired by Professors Naminata Diabate, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow for Global African Studies, The Africa Institute and Surafel Wondimu Abebe, Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Theory, The Africa Institute.

 

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