Minority Africa Limbo Fellowship Project for Africans 2024

Marking the third cohort of the fellowship program, the Limbo Project will provoke journalistic discourse surrounding ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, waterfront communities, and related marginalized groups contending with uncertainty across Africa. As we cognize it, these groups exist in a state of limbo. Nonetheless, Limbo equally transcends physical space; it is a framework and experience shaped by the failings of democratic societies to safeguard their most vulnerable groups.

This edition of the Limbo Fellowship focuses on five countries; Mozambique, Mauritius, Uganda, Nigeria, and Tanzania. These countries embody communities whose narratives often languish in obscurity or neglect, yet form an integral part of our societies.

In Tanzania for example, Maasai people have faced a series of evictions since 1959 and in January 2024, the government altered the legal status of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) to prohibit human settlement, a move that could displace around 100,000 people. In a distressing parallel, in March 2016, Nigeria initiated a series of forced and violent evictions targeting waterfront communities. Over 50,000 people have been displaced in Lagos alone since then, with several individuals losing their lives or falling victim to drowning while fleeing gunfire during these evictions.

The failure to address this challenge is compounded by how spaces of limbo and individuals experiencing it are portrayed in the media. Limbo is often criminalized, misunderstood, and shunned. However, it is essential to contemplate what becomes possible when we embrace limbo from a storytelling perspective. What future narratives can be crafted as we witness communities rising up for themselves, even in the face of profound uncertainty?

As with previous editions of the fellowship, fellows will produce multimedia stories focused on these communities that will be published on the Minority Africa platform as well as through our network of around 300 news publishers and academics through our Advance project.

Aim and Benefits

Besides their allowance, fellows will be provided with a monthly internet stipend. We are also continually working on a way to potentially eliminate the need for a strong internet connection in subsequent cohorts of the fellowship.

Requirements

The Minority Africa fellowship is open to journalists, filmmakers, writers, photographers, and storytellers. Here is a complete list of the eligibility requirements below:

Applicants must be 18 years years of age by the time of their application.
Applicants must be from and living in either one of the following countries: Mozambique, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria
Must have an interest in covering one of the focus minority groups for the fellowship. These groups are: ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, waterfront communities, and analogous marginalized groups.
Be able to commit 10 – 20 hours each week to the fellowship.
Must have demonstrable work experience/interest in their chosen focus area for the duration of the fellowship.
Able to understand and communicate in English. The fellowship is primarily conducted in English. Applicants don’t have to be excellent speakers but they do have to know how to communicate in English. This on the other hand does not have to be the primary language they work in. We will consider applicants who for instance write primarily in other languages such as Portuguese, Swahili, or French but are able to communicate in English.
Access to the internet and good data connection. While we understand internet access is not available everywhere on the continent, being an entirely virtual fellowship, connectivity is a crucial component. Besides their allowance, fellows will be provided with a monthly internet stipend. We are also continually working on a way to potentially eliminate the need for a strong internet connection in subsequent cohorts of the fellowship.