Calling all writers, illustrators and publishers!

What is StAAf?

Stories Across Africa (StAAf) is a core project of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), the language agency of the African Union (AU). StAAf facilitates the publication of literature for children from birth to teens to enjoy in their own languages and in the languages of wider communication. Stories old and new are being collected, written, rewritten, adapted, translated and illustrated for children and teenagers in rural and urban settings across the African continent.

StAAf is a is a pan-African project that:

• develops and supports the use of African languages in print
• stimulates and supports the African publishing industry and, African literary and visual artists to create and foster the use of children’s literature
• assists in the creation of a common store of written children’s literature in Africa
• supports ‘reading for enjoyment’ as an essential part of literacy learning and development

Fostering a sense of common African identity

The spirit of the African Renaissance promotes efforts to nurture a sense of common identity across the continent. This starts in childhood and continues into young adulthood. African children need to experience the stories of Africa, past and present, in written form like generations of children elsewhere have done. Until now no such common written anthologies have existed for Africa, the ‘cradle of humanity’. When young people and their families across the continent are able to share the same literature with each other in a familiar language, we will begin to build a sense of common African identity and literate communities.

A special project in the Year of African Languages 2006–2007: Anthologies of African writing

In collaboration with a local publisher from each of southern, West, Central, East and North Africa, StAAf is publishing three anthologies of writing for children:

• Early Childhood (0–8 years),
• Middle Childhood (9–12 years) and
• Teenagers (13 years and above).

The stories and poems selected for these anthologies will arise from and give an African point of view whilst also reflecting the diversity of experience on the continent.

The anthologies will provide examples of Africa’s finest writing for children and young adults, and include humour, ‘problem literature’, fantasy, experimental and non-linear texts.

Invitation to writers, illustrators and publishers

Do you have previously published or unpublished material that you think is suitable for inclusion in one of the above anthologies? If so, please contact us for more information about submission criteria and conditions.

Hurry as all material needs to reach us by 30 July 2007!

Contact Us:

Central co-ordination
Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA),
University of Cape Town.

For more information, contact any of the following people:

Carole Bloch, (central co-ordination & southern Africa)
E: carole.bloch@uct.ac.za
T: + 27 (0) 21 650 3589
F: + 27 (0) 21 650 3027

Joshua Madumulla (East Africa)
E: madumulla@yahoo.com

Jakalia Abdulai (West Africa)
E: jakaliaa@yahoo.com

Suzana Mukobwajana (Central Africa)
E: smukobwajana@yahoo.com
Nadia El Kholy (North Africa)
E: nkholy@aucegypt.edu

Michael Ambatchew (StAAf advisor)
E: mambetchew@yahoo.com