Nigerian Writer and Journalist, Izunna Okafor Selected for Int'l Writers Residency

By Chidi Igwe, Canada

Izunna Okafor, an Anambra-based Nigerian writer and journalist has been selected and invited for the 2022 Ebedi International Writers Residency.

Announcing the selection in a congratulatory and invitation letter addressed to Okafor over the weekend, the Founder and Patron of the Ebedi International Writers Residency, Dr. Wale Okediran said Okafor's fully-funded residency stay would last between Monday May 30, 2022 to June 30, 2022. 

He further reminded him that during his his four-week stay at the Residency, located at very quiet environment in Iseyin, Oyo State; he is expected to write and also interact with selected students of some secondary schools in Iseyin town for about four hours every week, during which he can teach the students any form of creative arts such as painting, writing, drama or singing among others as he so desires. 

“At the end of your 4-week stay, you will be expected to showcase the outcome of your interaction and your experience during the residency with some invited journalists,” Okediran added, while also congratulating him for his selection.

In an interview, Okafor, whose joy knows no bound, described the selection as a dream fulfilled, and appreciated Dr. Okediran and his team for finding him worthy to be selected and among many other applicants from different countries of the world.

Okafor, who is a diglot writer with over 30 national and international awards and over a thousand online and offline publications to his credit, assured that he would make good use of the opportunity to complete some of his drafts, explore new dimensions of writing, and also make indelible impact in the lives of others through his four-hour weekly community service at the Residency.

Established in September 2010, the Ebedi International Writers Residency provides a conducive space for writers wishing to complete their works-in-progress at no cost to the writers. The Residency is a private initiative which offers full board facility, and has since its establishment, hosted over 150 writers from 10 African countries, many of whom have won several local and international literary prizes.