Pemi Aguda is first Writivism Stellenbosch University writing residency recipient

Pemi Aguda is the first recipient of the new residency for African writers announced today by the Centre for African Cultural Excellence (CACE) and South Africa’s Stellenbosch University English department.

This new residency for emerging African Writers gets basic funding from the Miles Morland Foundation with the university supporting the programme in kind. Apart from Aguda, other past and future winners of the Writivism Short Story Prize will benefit from the opportunity.

So how does the residency work? From September 1 to 30, 2016, Pemi Aguda, who won 2015 Writivism Short Story Prize will be the writer-in-residence at Stellenbosch University. While there, she will work on a fiction manuscript and have the opportunity to participate in reading groups, public lectures and other literary activities in the department. She will also do a public reading or seminar on her writing.

Speaking about the new opportunity, Pemi Aguda said, “Writivism is the gift that keeps giving. I’m looking forward to this writing month away to work with the University community.”

Kagayi Peter, coordinator for Writivism Anglophone programmes commented, “We are grateful for the partnerships. The growth of our literary spirit is a collective effort. We congratulate Pemi on the residency.”

“This residency is important because to make a writing career work, one needs the space, time, and a community supportive of their endeavours. In a way, just winning 400$ prize money in Kampala wasn’t enough foundation for an emerging writer to build a career. This residency will be a game-changer,” Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire, Partnerships Director at CACE said. 

Kyomuhendo A Ateenyi, a CACE co-founder and its Director based in Kampala added, “We are confident that the residency will go a very long way in nurturing and promoting the talents of young African writers such as Pemi Aguda in line with the Organization’s mission.”

Prof Sally-Ann Murray, the Chair of the English Department and a novelist said, “Colleagues in the English Department at Stellenbosch University are excited to inaugurate their partnership with the Writivism project in 2016. The month-long writer’s residency is a great opportunity for us to host emergent African and Caribbean literary talent, and to give our existing pan African academic networks a vital creative energy. And who knows, perhaps this small beginning can lead to further collaborations – participation in workshops, festivals, seminars.”