The Africa Institute, Global Studies University (GSU), Sharjah is delighted to announce the recipients of the Global Africa Translation Fellowship for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. This marks the fourth cohort of this esteemed fellowship, which provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 annually to support the translation of important works from the African continent and its diaspora into Arabic and/or English. The selected projects may include retranslations of classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry collections, novels, prose, or critical theory. These projects can be works-in-progress or new endeavors feasible within the grant’s timeframe.
Yarri Kamara is a Sierra Leonean-Ugandan writer, translator, and researcher with an M.A. in International Affairs from Sciences Po, Paris. Her notable achievements include being a finalist for the 2023 US National Translation Award for her translation of Monique Ilboudo’s So Distant from my Life. She also co-edited Sahara: A Thousand Paths into the Future. Yarri’s essays and poetry have appeared on prominent platforms such as Africa Is A Country, Lolwe, and Brittle Paper. A member of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention Expert Facility, she provides cultural policy advice globally. Currently based in Italy, Yarri has lived in Burkina Faso and traveled extensively across West Africa.
During her residency, she will translate Sarraounia, le drame de la reine magicienne (1980) by Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani from French to English. This seminal novel, titled Sarraounia: The Tragedy of the Magician Queen in English, recounts the story of Sarraounia, a legendary female figure who fiercely resisted French colonization in 1899. Kamara aims to bring this important piece of Niger’s literary heritage to a wider English-speaking audience, contributing to the growing corpus of African works that recount colonial history from an African perspective.
Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian writer and literary translator working between Arabic and English. He earned his BA and MA in Comparative Literature from Fayoum University, Egypt and is pursuing an MFA at Boston University, USA. His accolades include being a two-time graduate of the BCLT Summer School, a six-month mentorship with the National Center for Writing, and the 2024 Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship from the American Literary Translators Association. Ibrahim’s translations have been featured in renowned literary outlets such as ArabLit Quarterly and Words Without Borders. He also hosts a podcast on New Books Network and is a fellow at the Center on Forced Displacement at Boston University.
Fawzy will be translating FutCity, a contemporary Mauritanian science fiction novel by Ahmed Isselmou. The novel, which won the 2023 Prix Chinguetti for Literature and Arts, explores themes of immigration, digital technology, and cultural identity, weaving together Mauritanian music and artificial intelligence.
Balew Demissie is a faculty member at Addis Ababa University, specializing in Ethiopian and African literature, theater, film, and culture. He holds both a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Literature from Addis Ababa University. His dissertation, Social Issues in Contemporary Amharic Drama: A Sociological Approach, reflects his deep engagement in the field. Beyond his academic role, Balew has served as the Public and International Relations Director at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and has worked as a communication and publication consultant for various organizations. He has authored several academic books and articles indexed in Scopus.
During his fellowship, Demissie is undertaking a significant translation project, converting the popular Amharic play Babylon Besalon into English. This 120-page script, which has been performed at the Ethiopian National Theater for nearly 25 years, explores themes of jealousy, hypocrisy, and reconciliation in marriage. The translation aims to make this culturally rich work accessible to a global audience, bridging language barriers and showcasing Ethiopian theatrical heritage to international and African theater students.
The Africa Institute’s Global Africa Translation Fellowship highlights our dedication to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and preserving African literary heritage. We extend our sincere gratitude to all applicants for their exceptional submissions and remain dedicated to fostering a dynamic literary ecosystem that values diverse perspectives.
To learn more about our fellowship opportunities and how to engage with them, please click here.
The Africa Institute, Global Studies University (GSU), Sharjah is delighted to announce the recipients of the Global Africa Translation Fellowship for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. This marks the fourth cohort of this esteemed fellowship, which provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 annually to support the translation of important works from the African continent and its diaspora into Arabic and/or English. The selected projects may include retranslations of classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry collections, novels, prose, or critical theory. These projects can be works-in-progress or new endeavors feasible within the grant’s timeframe.
The Africa Institute, Global Studies University (GSU), Sharjah is delighted to announce the recipients of the Global Africa Translation Fellowship for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. This marks the fourth cohort of this esteemed fellowship, which provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 annually to support the translation of important works from the African continent and its diaspora into Arabic and/or English. The selected projects may include retranslations of classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry collections, novels, prose, or critical theory. These projects can be works-in-progress or new endeavors feasible within the grant’s timeframe.
Yarri Kamara is a Sierra Leonean-Ugandan writer, translator, and researcher with an M.A. in International Affairs from Sciences Po, Paris. Her notable achievements include being a finalist for the 2023 US National Translation Award for her translation of Monique Ilboudo’s So Distant from my Life. She also co-edited Sahara: A Thousand Paths into the Future. Yarri’s essays and poetry have appeared on prominent platforms such as Africa Is A Country, Lolwe, and Brittle Paper. A member of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention Expert Facility, she provides cultural policy advice globally. Currently based in Italy, Yarri has lived in Burkina Faso and traveled extensively across West Africa.
During her residency, she will translate Sarraounia, le drame de la reine magicienne (1980) by Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani from French to English. This seminal novel, titled Sarraounia: The Tragedy of the Magician Queen in English, recounts the story of Sarraounia, a legendary female figure who fiercely resisted French colonization in 1899. Kamara aims to bring this important piece of Niger’s literary heritage to a wider English-speaking audience, contributing to the growing corpus of African works that recount colonial history from an African perspective.
Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian writer and literary translator working between Arabic and English. He earned his BA and MA in Comparative Literature from Fayoum University, Egypt and is pursuing an MFA at Boston University, USA. His accolades include being a two-time graduate of the BCLT Summer School, a six-month mentorship with the National Center for Writing, and the 2024 Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship from the American Literary Translators Association. Ibrahim’s translations have been featured in renowned literary outlets such as ArabLit Quarterly and Words Without Borders. He also hosts a podcast on New Books Network and is a fellow at the Center on Forced Displacement at Boston University.
Fawzy will be translating FutCity, a contemporary Mauritanian science fiction novel by Ahmed Isselmou. The novel, which won the 2023 Prix Chinguetti for Literature and Arts, explores themes of immigration, digital technology, and cultural identity, weaving together Mauritanian music and artificial intelligence.
Balew Demissie is a faculty member at Addis Ababa University, specializing in Ethiopian and African literature, theater, film, and culture. He holds both a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Literature from Addis Ababa University. His dissertation, Social Issues in Contemporary Amharic Drama: A Sociological Approach, reflects his deep engagement in the field. Beyond his academic role, Balew has served as the Public and International Relations Director at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and has worked as a communication and publication consultant for various organizations. He has authored several academic books and articles indexed in Scopus.
During his fellowship, Demissie is undertaking a significant translation project, converting the popular Amharic play Babylon Besalon into English. This 120-page script, which has been performed at the Ethiopian National Theater for nearly 25 years, explores themes of jealousy, hypocrisy, and reconciliation in marriage. The translation aims to make this culturally rich work accessible to a global audience, bridging language barriers and showcasing Ethiopian theatrical heritage to international and African theater students.
The Africa Institute’s Global Africa Translation Fellowship highlights our dedication to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and preserving African literary heritage. We extend our sincere gratitude to all applicants for their exceptional submissions and remain dedicated to fostering a dynamic literary ecosystem that values diverse perspectives.
To learn more about our fellowship opportunities and how to engage with them, please click here.
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