OlongoAfrica has announced the recipients of its 2025 Black Orpheus Fellowship, a program supporting writers, artists, and researchers exploring Africa’s literary and artistic heritage.
A panel of five editors, curators, and academics reviewed 59 applications before selecting nine fellows. The cohort includes artists investigating Black Orpheus’ visual language, scholars analyzing its archival materials, and writers examining its socio-political impact.
Among the selected fellows, Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu will reinterpret the journal’s covers using linocut prints influenced by Susanne Wenger and Georgina Beier. Tinashe Mushakavanhu will apply metadata analysis to Black Orpheus archives, utilizing algorithmic tools to examine its literary patterns. Sarah Laniyan will document the contributions of female writers, while Ebunoluwa Adepoju will explore Colette Omogbai’s work through visual art and poststructuralist frameworks.
Other fellows include IfeOluwa Nihinlola, focusing on artists featured in Black Orpheus, and Kosoluchi Agboanike, whose research centers on Mbari spaces and their role in Nigerian artistic movements. Damilola Faith Ayeni will analyze racial dynamics in Black Orpheus, while Ifesinachi Nwadike will study water as a metaphor in African literary discourse. Denja Abdullahi will examine the journal’s influence on African literature and its socio-political narratives.
Four fellows will receive grants of two million naira, while the remaining five will be awarded 500,000 naira each. All recipients will have access to Black Orpheus archives and publication opportunities through OlongoAfrica.
Writer and editor Mọlará Wood will oversee the program as Editor-in-Chief, mentoring fellows throughout the year. Supported by Open Society Foundations, the fellowship also offers research residencies in Lagos in collaboration with Angels & Muse, Guest Artists Space (G.A.S) Foundation, and other partners.
