African Liberty Writing Fellowship: What is It and What Are Its Aims?
In many African countries, democratic institutions face significant challenges due to authoritarianism and weak governance despite overwhelming support for democracy across the continent. To address these issues and raise awareness about the pressing concerns affecting Africa, Ibrahim Anoba, managing editor of African Liberty, launched the African Liberty Writing Fellowship. This initiative aims to provide students with the necessary training and skills to write about and debate solutions to the human rights-related issues prevalent in Africa. Through the fellowship, participants learn to become effective advocates for democratic freedoms and contribute to improved governance and accountability in the region.
Since its inception in 2018, the African Liberty Writing Fellowship has aimed to equip participants with tangible skills. Before becoming fellows, students undergo a rigorous five-week online training program where they learn about op-ed writing and article structuring: “Simplicity and proper articulation are essential when presenting an argument. Compared to other forms of writing, [the] op-eds we accept for publication must be clear and easily understood. We expose the fellows to this truth through the training,” said Anoba.
Upon completion of the training, applicants who did the best work are accepted into the one-year fellowship program, where fellows identify human rights-related issues that affect Africa and submit their article pitches to the program's editorial team for review. The completed articles are then pitched to mainstream media organizations for publication, ensuring that the fellows' voices are heard by a wider audience. “The major aim [of this program] is [to ensure] that our fellows develop their writing skills. That's why our editorial processes are tough, right from the acceptance stage,” said Nicholas Aderinto, a former assistant editor for the fellowship who also graduated from the program in 2022. “When you write and we pitch your articles out, we want to be sure that you are learning the basics and not just sending articles to us.”
In addition to writing skills, the fellowship also trains participants in performing live interviews. This training enables fellows to effectively express their opinions and insights on relevant issues. Notably, past fellows have appeared on television programs to discuss topics such as election outcomes and public health concerns. “After the multimedia training, I had to keep abreast of happenings going on in Africa, because we can be given [short] notice before [the interview] starts,” said 2021 fellow Riaan Salie. “Being prepared ahead gave me leverage to provide insight on the topic I was invited [to speak on] when the opportunity finally came.”
The African Liberty Writing Fellowship has had a significant impact on the participants' careers. “I racked up bylines in national dailies, which gave me much visibility as a writer. The experience from this fellowship helped me secure another fellowship almost immediately, ” said Ope Adetayo, a 2021 fellow who now freelances with publications such as Al Jazeera and Guardian UK. Ibraheem Abdullateef, another fellow, was appointed by the Kwara state governor in Western Nigeria as a special communications assistant.
While the fellowship faces challenges in improving students' writing skills due to the diverse range of participants, it remains committed to transforming aspiring journalists into effective advocates for human rights. “You are dealing with a diverse group of people with different writing skills and you want to ensure that they all achieve a transformed state,” said Aderinto. Not only that, but different interests and intersections of writer identity account for different formats of work, which can be challenging to navigate.
Still, Anoba's African Liberty Writing Fellowship is playing a vital role in training the next generation of journalists in Africa, with ambitious goals for the growth of Africa as a whole. “We can only be hopeful because Africa is the most promising continent, but economic development can only be actualized when the structures are right,” said Anoba. “If freedom is respected and human’s rights [are] recognized, we’ll prosper.”
