Small Grants Competition for Writers, Researchers & Activists

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Abuja, Nigeria announces a small grants competition for writers, researchers, and activists working on or in Nigeria. The grant forms a part of a wider programme on the Digitisation of Nigerian Heritage funded by the French Institute for Research in Africa, (IFRA-Nigeria), and the Embassy of France in Nigeria.

The component of the project undertaken by CDD aims to digitally preserve and disseminate the inspiring documentary heritage of earlier generations of Nigeria’s radical and pro-democracy activists. These efforts are anchored on the premise that unearthing the activities and debates that preoccupied earlier generations of Nigeria’s radical thinkers and activists can help enrich contemporary activism, public discourses, and academic scholarship in and on Nigeria.

As such, the grant will enable two (2) researchers/writers to explore and publish pieces of writing centered on the two already digitised archives of Nigerian scholar-activists of yore: Yusuf Bala Usman, and Ola and Kehinde Oni.

The grant winners will be required to develop original written work(s) (around 1000 – 3000 words) exploring particular themes in the archives of one or both activists, as well as to pursue publication of the written piece(s) in agreed upon, widely read, and publicly accessible African oriented venues. Pieces longer than 3000 words may, subject to editorial approval, be offered the option of publishing a working paper for CDD or IFRA.

Applicant criteria and materials:

Anyone may apply. Preference will be given to women, to applicants who have previous experience working with archival or heritage materials, and to early career writers/activists based in Africa.

Applications should consist of:

• A recent CV
• A one-page supporting letter containing:

• • A statement of no more that 300 words clarifying your motivation (personal, academic, aesthetic, political, etc.) for pursuing the grant.
  • An abstract of no more that 150 words explaining what themes you expect to explore in one or both archives.
  • A bullet point list of 3 or more prospective outlets (please include hyperlinks, if available) where you would seek to publish the written work.

Grant expectations and timeline:

• Deadline for application: 30 December, 2022
• Notification to successful candidates and provision of access to archives: 14 January, 2023
• Submission of (1) outline of written work & (2) updated abstract: February 4, 2023
• Submission of written work to CDD and to selected publication: February 28, 2023

The grant is the naira equivalent of 1,000 EUR (N437,000.00) and will be awarded in two tranches, with the first 1/2 awarded following the notification of a successful application, and the second 1/2 awarded following the submission of the written work to the mutually agreed upon publication.

Application to be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Tags: archives, heritage