Organizer Information
The residency is coordinated by the Library of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD), a highly respected cultural institution based in Accra, Ghana, dedicated to the research, preservation, and exhibition of literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. LOATAD is known as a knowledge-producing center that fosters connections across the continent and beyond. This specific initiative is a significant collaboration with the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity (HOBU-UK), a non-profit organization focused on promoting global Black liberation and unity, which aims to ground its political vision in creative, lived experiences. This partnership underscores the residency’s focus on cultural cartography and Pan-African connection.
Title & Description
LOATAD West Africa Road Residency 2026
This is a landmark and uniquely demanding creative opportunity: an intensive 18-day, 3,000-kilometre overland journey for writers, visual artists, and sound artists. The journey begins in Accra, Ghana, travels through multiple West African nations, and culminates in Banjul, The Gambia. Scheduled for April 2026, the residency is explicitly framed not merely as a trip, but as a "radical act of listening, seeing, movement, and memory." Residents will trace historical and cultural arteries, traveling through Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal. The core objective is for the selected artists to act as "indigenous cultural cartographers," engaging deeply with local communities, histories, and landscapes. In response to curated prompts, they will produce original creative work that contributes to a profound collective archive. This work will later be shared at the Convention of Afrikan People (CAP26) in The Gambia and published in a Pan-African anthology and travelling exhibition, linking creative practice directly to the global narrative of Black unity.
Categories
- Literature: Writers (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry).
- Visual Art: Visual artists, including photographers, painters, sculptors, and mixed media artists.
- Music/Sound Art: Musicians, composers, and sound artists who produce compositions, recordings, or soundscapes.
Eligibility
- Geographic Requirement: Applicants must be citizens and residents of a West African ECOWAS nation. This includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
- Travel Documents: Applicants must possess a valid West African passport with a minimum of six months' validity remaining.
- Age: Applicants must be over 21 years old.
- Commitment: Applicants must be available and commit to the full, non-negotiable 18-day residency period, including mandatory pre-departure workshops and post-residency activities.
- Physical Fitness: Due to the nature of the journey (long hours on the road, multiple border crossings, and shared, sometimes unpredictable conditions), applicants must be physically and medically able to undertake long-distance overland travel.
Program Benefits & Awards
The residency is fully sponsored, covering all core expenses to ensure participants can focus entirely on their creative work and the journey. Benefits include:
- Financial Stipend: A daily stipend of $35 USD is provided to cover meals and incidental personal expenses.
- Travel & Accommodation: Comprehensive coverage for the entire 3,000-kilometre overland transportation for the 18 days. All border fees and travel insurance are covered. Shared, modest accommodation is provided along the route. Additionally, a one-way flight is covered for each resident (either to Ghana before the start or from Banjul at the end).
- Professional Development: Participation in structured pre-departure workshops and post-residency programming.
- Exhibition & Publication: Guaranteed inclusion of the original creative work produced during the residency in a high-profile Pan-African anthology and a subsequent travelling exhibition curated by the residency partners.
- Networking: Opportunities to connect with a diverse group of fellow cultural practitioners and engage with local histories and communities across seven West African countries.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A short biographical statement (maximum 250 words).
- A detailed statement of interest (maximum 500 words) articulating how the applicant’s creative practice connects to the residency's theme of global Black unity and liberation.
- A strong portfolio of work: a writing sample for writers, or a representative portfolio for visual artists and sound artists.
- Contact details for two professional references.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 14 January 2026
- Residency Period: April 5 – 21, 2026
- Post-Residency Event: The residency precedes the Convention of Afrikan People (CAP26) in The Gambia, scheduled for April 18-19, 2026.
Location
Ghana
Additional Details
Residents are expected to make a substantial creative commitment, producing a text between 2,500 and 10,000 words (writers) or a body of work suitable for exhibition and publication (visual/sound artists). The creative work remains the property of the artist, but participants grant the organizers (LOATAD and partners) the right to reproduce, exhibit, and publish the work in residency-related publications and exhibitions with full attribution. Participants must consent to comprehensive documentation of the process (photo/video/audio) for publicity. Compliance with all rules regarding group travel and respect for communities is mandatory, with a strict code of conduct for aggressive or unlawful behavior. The resident assumes acceptance of the risks associated with long-distance overland travel and unpredictable conditions.
