Tag Archive | Poetry4ChangeAfrica

#Poetry4ChangeAfrica | iSERVE2050 Creativity Prize, administered by Crater Library & Publishers

Dec18

About iSERVE2050 Creativity Quarterly Prize (September – December, 2022 Edition).

Democracy is recognized and accepted to be the most civilized form of government because it is based on certain principles and values. Since Nigeria achieved its independence, its democracy has gone through interruptions and challenges. This has had a profound impact on the quality of leadership and followership.

Democratic principles can only be sustained if the citizens are aware of citizenship values and espouse them. Citizens have the power, influence, and responsibility to make decisions that affect them most especially when electing public officers. However, we can only achieve this when we make a deliberate effort to own governance and contribute to it. This we can attain if we understand, accept, and promote citizen and cultural values that inspire social change that is sustainable, judicious, and transparent.

This need for awareness raising and sensitization on citizen and cultural values has been recognized and it has inspired the creation of the iSERVE2050 Creativity Prize, in partnership with Poetry4ChangeAfrica and Crater Library & Publishers.

Aims and Objectives

The main objective of the competition is to conscientize Nigerian/African youths on important citizenship and leadership values, rights, and responsibilities through creativity.

The Specific Objectives Include:

  • Educating masses on citizenship and cultural values crucial to individual, community and national progress.
  • Increase civic participation in politics and governance.
  • Increase visibility of creators and their works.
  • Encourage and support creativity.

About the Prize

The competition, although social media based, is broken down into two phases to enable creators to increase visibility of their work, promote citizen and cultural value via content creation and hashtag.

Categories of Prizes

The prize is divided into three categories. They are:

(1) Digital Art

(2) Prose (Creative Non-Fiction) and/or Poetry

(3) Video: Spoken Word and Monologue

Duration and Frequency of Prize Events

The contests for the iSERVE2050 Creativity Prize will take place quarterly.

Theme

The theme for the competition will be decided annually with quarterly sub-themes for each prize.

Participants

The competition is only open to Nigerians who are at least 18 years old, resident in Nigeria, and who possess a Nigerian Permanent Voters Card.

Prizes

The winning entry in each category will receive a cash prize of N50,000. While the 1st runner up and 2nd runner up of each categories gets N30,000 and N20,000 respectively. The winners shall be announced at a prize giving ceremony held virtually.

Copyright

The intellectual property rights of the creator reside with the creator. However, by participating in this competition, creators

grant iServe2050 the right to post, advertise, and publish their entries on social media platforms.

Language

The entries will be submitted in any of the following languages: English, Igbo, and Pidgin English. Videos recorded in Igbo and pidgin will have subtitles

Prize Administrator: Crater Library & Publishers

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

May1

PARTNERS/COLLABORATORS

  • EKCEP (EnvironFocus Knowledge and Culture Exchange Program) – is an avenue for teachers in developed countries (Canada) and in developing countries in Africa, to work together in solving sustainability issues, thereby fostering innovation among children.

  • EKCEP aims to solve the following questions:

    I. How do we raise children that will solve the sustainability problems of the present and the future?

    II. How do we transfer knowledge that is unbiased?

    III. How do we create solutions that are trans-boundary and take cultures into consideration?

    IV. How do we ensure that single stories are not told?

  • WAAW FOUNDATION – Working to Advance African Women and Girls in STEM Education

  • YNOT – Youth Now On Track Services

  • PAS PRIZE, Nigeria – an Educational Reward Program produced by “Developing Talents in Our Society Initiative” for recognizing and rewarding Educational achievements of outstanding secondary school students in Nigeria.

  • PRAXIS HANGOUT – is a quarterly gathering of creative people in Nigeria, where they interact with their fans and fellow lovers of the arts. We bring artists from across board: painters, writers, performance poets, actors, musicians, film-makers etc.

  • HAGI – Hope for African Girls Initiative; through community service projects, HAGI empowers African girls on leadership and personal independence, by enlightening them on their possibilities as stakeholders in a democratic environment, rather than its victims.

WWN™ Inspired Series: Harry Belafonte on the Power of the Arts, Activism & Mentorship

Aug30

“Had it not been for Paul Robeson, Dr Dubois, who gave us keen instruction, who put their lives on the line, who stood strong in the midst of tremendous opposition, we would not have been the beneficiary of what would be the guiding factors of our lives.

In that journey, I dare say that I found my centre as a human being, I found my centre and I found purpose for how I was to use my life. And the greatest example for me was the man who chose to mentor me; who found me very early in life and began to give me instruction that made me feel a part of the world in which he lived and by his intellect, strength and courage set my course and that was Paul Robeson.

I was a high school dropout (and that’s not an uncommon story in our communities) but I was instilled with a strong sense of loss at not getting a degree, I was not able to find a way to articulate my feelings and thoughts and ideas.”

~Harry Belafonte, Human Rights Activist & Artist

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