Call for applications

Afro-residencies for writers in Dakar, Senegal

It is with great pleasure that Espace de la diversité (EDLD) launches the Afro-residencies in Dakar, Senegal, in collaboration with La Bibliothèque Nomad, our local partner. This program will allow two afrodescendant writers to be accommodated in Dakar from November 2nd to 29th 2026.

The deadline to apply to the program is August 3rd 2026.

The EDLD afro-residency objectives:

• To support the afrodescendant authors from marginalized and diverse backgrounds by giving them access to an inspiring creative space and providing them with all the conditions needed to write freely.
• Enable Afro-descendant writers to mobilize their art to deepen their ties with the continent of their ancestors, then to nourish their approach and their work through contact with historically charged places, such as Gorée Island, near Dakar, brutally marked by the transatlantic slave trade of Africans carried out by European powers.
• Providing authors that may be subject to exclusion, alienation, precarity and uprooting, with an opportunity to form social bonds and partake in fertile conversations and exchanges with artists and communities with different histories, imaginaries, and visions of life.

Whom is this residency intended for?

• The Residencies are open to all afrodescendant published/professional writers with a residency in Quebec.
• Priority will be given to afrodescendant writers from marginalized and diverse backgrounds, including 2SLGBTQIA+ writers.
• The Residencies are open to writers of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, spoken word artists, theatre and cinema.
• Writing language(s): French, English. Projects written in other languages are eligible, but the applications must be made in French or English.
• Applicants must have a current membership of EDLD. You can register for a membership here (it’s free!): Become a member!
• EDLD employees and Board Members are not eligible to apply for the Residency. However, freelancers who have previously worked or are currently working with EDLD are eligible to apply.

Before making an application, please read the following criteria carefully:

Coverage:

• The Residency will cover travel costs (including airfare and travel to and from the airport in Senegal), accommodation and food for the period of residency, and travel insurance.

• There will also be an honorarium given to each writer. The honorarium will depend on the project’s global cost and will approximately be between 1500$ and 2000$.

Location:

• Residents are provided with a comfortable apartment in Dakar, as close as possible to the main places of culture and the literary scene, as well as a workspace with internet access.
• We will do everything within our capacity to try and accommodate writers with restricted mobility or accessibility needs.
• The Residencies are open to applications from people who have children or family responsibilities. There may be an option for families to also have accommodation on site, although EDLD will not cover any costs for additional family members.

Dates and duration:

• The Residencies are happening from November 2nd to 29th 2026. These dates are non-changeable, and writers must be able to take up residence for the full period of the Residency.
• Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview.

Candidate’s status:

• Canadian citizenship/permanent residency is not required. However, applicants must have residency in Quebec for at least six months of the year.
• Applicants must be able to obtain, at their own expense, all the documents needed to travel to Senegal (Passport, visa if required, up-to-date vaccination).
• Applicants must be at least 21 years old at the time of application.

Professionalism:

• The applicants must meet at least one of these requirements:
  • Must have published at least 1 book within a reputed publishing house, in Quebec or elsewhere;
  • Must have published (not self-published) at least 40 pages of fiction, poetry or non-fiction (including journalism);
  • Must have professionally produced at least 30 minutes of radio, film, television, theatre or multi-media;
  • Storytellers and Spoken Word artists must have presented at least one full-length solo show or have had at least 3 professionally paid bookings;
  • Personal blogs and self-publishing are not eligible.

Residency activities:

• Writing: Most of the time will be spent writing. The authors will be able to work on their writing projects without any obligations. The authors need to feel comfortable working alone.
• Dialogue: In order to engage in the intercultural dialogue and rapprochement, the writers will be invited by La Bibliothèque Nomad and our other local partners, to meet the public and participate in activities (workshop/reading/meeting local authors/etc) during the Residency.
• Environment and community: the authors will take part in an ecological activity such as beach cleaning, to offset some of the environmental impact of travel.
• Sharing: Writers will be asked to contribute a maximum of four social media posts for EDLD during their Residency: these could be photographs, journal entries, or creative contributions.

How to apply?

To submit an application, please prepare and send the following as a SINGLE PDF file to candidatures@espacedeladiversite.org by August 3rd, 2026.

Please include your first name, last name, and ‘EDLD Afro-résidency Application 2026’ in the title of the document.

The file should include the following:

1. General statement of your approach to writing, career, notable achievements, and future goals (max 300 words) and a one-page writing CV;
2. A description of your writing project (max 500 words):
   • An outline of what you hope to work on during the residency, the inspiration and reasons behind this choice of project
   • Explain in which stage your project is: conceptualization, research, starting a new project or continuing an existing one, etc.;
3. Why the residency will be beneficial to you at this particular time (max 300 words);
4. Explain how you intend to give back to Dakar, where the residency is located, from a perspective of listening, sharing and decentering. Describe yourself, your artist personality, artistic approach and group dynamic (300 words maximum).

Shortlisted applicants will then be asked for a short interview with the jury.

Please note that we wouldn’t be able to accept your application if it doesn’t respect the maximal number of words for each document.