Four Residents, made up of a Visual Artist and Three Writers have arrived Iseyin, Oyo State, Nigeria for the February/March edition of the Ebedi International Writers Residency.

The Visual Artist, Wole Ayoola from Oyo State is a graduate of Fine Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and a Member of the Society of Nigerian Artists. He has over the years held exhibitions in many parts of Nigeria including the National Festival of Arts and Culture Art Exhibition in Ilorin in 2011. He is also the author for the Evans Publishers book on Creative Arts from Primary School to Senior Secondary Level. Ayoola who specialises in painting and design using different media to express his thoughts on various issues has his works in private and corporate establishments all over the world. At Ebedi, Ayoola would be exploring the use of soil in different colours in mural paintings. Colourful local mat (eni) mixed with pigments will also be explored to paint landscapes. He will also engage secondary school students in Iseyin in drawings and paintings making use of available materials to expose them to improvisation of materials in art.

The second resident, Chibųìhè Obi, from Imo State is a poet, essayist, photographer and teacher. His works explore identity, language and belonging, and have been featured or forthcoming in magazines, anthologies and journals like Brittle Paper, Expound, the Kalahari review, Praxis Magazine, The Black Boy Review, 14: Anthology of queer Art, Mounting the Moon etc. He is the winner of the 2017Brittle Paper Anniversary Award, 2016 Babishai Niwe Haiku Prize as well as the 2013 Splendid Literature Series competition junior category. He was nominated for the 2016 Pushcart prize for his essay, Of War, Photographs and Memory. He is currently on the Gerald Kraak award shortlist. His essay, We're Queer We're Here, which went viral last year has been made into a short film. Obi will be using his time at Ebedi to complete his debut poetry collection, tentatively titled,’ My Body in Translation’ and a poetry chapbook with ‘Naming our Losses ‘ as the working title. He will also use his five year working experience as a Literature Teacher to teach Iseyin secondary school students the basics of creative nonfiction.

The third resident, Blessing Akinsehinwa, a native of Ondo State is an Abuja based Lawyer and Writer. He is currently the Principal Partner at Akinsehinwa & Co, a law firm where he engages in Litigation, Soliciting, and Business Consulting with particular emphasis on Start ups. Blessing is also passionately engaged in the art of writing — fiction and non fiction— which have been published in journals and online platforms within and outside Nigeria. Further to this, his story – ON THE SHORES OF DEATH- emerged among the top five in the AWF Nigeria Ecuador Short Story National Contest. The winning stories were translated into Spanish language and published in an anthology that was launched in Nigeria and Ecuador. He wants to use his time in Ebedi to meet other writers – emerging and established, and to impart on young minds. His main focus is to write, edit and promote a collection of short stories which will be published in 2018 in an electronic book format.

The last Resident, Innocence Silas Katung from Kaduna State is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, book reviewer, documentary film-maker, and a literary development worker who writes under the pen name, Sharamang Silas. A 2014 graduate of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano, he currently serves as the Programmes Coordinator, SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative, Makurdi. As a literary development worker, he has twice facilitated writing workshop for students of Benue State University and has initiated a blueprint to undertake a year-round regional writing workshop that will kick-start in 2018 for secondary students across selected States of Northern Nigeria. Sharamang Silas has been widely published online and in-print, including appearances in Praxis Magazine, African Writer, ANA Review, and in different anthologies such as The Promise This Time SEVHAGE Anthology of Flood Poems. Silas won the 7th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Prize 2017, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Youth Council Poetry Prize 2017 and won the 2016 AMAB Bookshop Teachers’ Day Poetry Competition. He will use his time at the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency, to complete his on-going poetry collection, tentatively titled The City of God, which has been on halt for a long time.

The Ebedi International Writers Residency, established in September 2010, is a private initiative for the use of writers wishing to complete their ongoing works in a conducive environment at no cost to the writers. The Residency which offers a 6 week full board facility has since its establishment hosted about 120 writers from 10 African countries many of whom have won several local and international literary prizes. The Residents who are expected to mentor secondary school students in Iseyin as part of their community service during their stay also have a publishing opportunity with a Lagos based Publisher, Literamed Publishers. Applications including a CV, an excerpt of the writing project to be undertaken during the residency as well as referrals from two established writers, can be sent to email address; waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk.