Our Voices: African Experiences and Realities, 25 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Submissions are welcome from women who are residents and citizens of Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe.

Work submitted should fall under 1 of the following categories:

• Literary Works: Eligible contributions include any of the following; short stories or excerpts from longer pieces of writing e.g. Novels; poetry; personal narratives and testimonies; interviews; essays and articles. All submissions under this category must be no more than 800 words long for poetry and 2500 words long for all other submissions.  Any submissions that exceed this word limit will not be vetted.
• Artistic Works: Eligible contributions in this category include any of the following; paintings; drawings, illustrations, graphic designs and photo essays of no more than 5 photographs.

Entrants are permitted to send multiple submissions so long as this is indicated in the body of the email/letter when the submission is sent. Multiple submissions are limited to no more than 3 submissions / individual.

Background

Art and storytelling are inalienable features of Africa’s culture and rhythm, evident in our continent’s rich and unique heritage in music, oral traditions, dance and literature. African women’s literature and art in particular, as a growing body, offers a deep appreciation for the lived experiences of women across the continent and women’s contributions to society by giving a voice to the marginalized and excluded: African women’s literature and art questions the central role that men have traditionally occupied in society by placing women as the subject of their own stories instead of the supporting acts in male narratives.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted in September 1995 and it is considered to be one of the major milestones of the global women’s movement. It calls for strong commitments on the part of the government and other institutions to fully recognize women’s inalienable human rights and gender equality. The platform of action imagines a world where each woman and girl can exercise her freedoms, choices and realize her rights.

25 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, “Our Voices” aims to contribute to the Beijing Platform of Action review process by using art and storytelling to mobilize young women and girls in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia to evaluate the promises, commitments and efforts made by their governments 25 years ago, against their own lived experiences and realities as well as those of the women around them.

Pepeta Africa welcomes creative submissions that highlight and celebrate womxn’s voices and experiences over the 25 years since the adoption of the monumental Beijing platform of action in September 1995. Submissions are welcome under the topics of:

• Women and Poverty
• Women and Education
• Women and Health
• Women and Armed Conflict
• Women and Violence
• Women and The Economy
• Women and Power and Decision Making
• Women and Institutional Mechanism
• Women and The Human Rights of Women
• Women and The Media
• Women and The Environment
• The Girl Child

Or any other topic or theme identified by the entrant, that speaks to the experiences of women in Africa post Beijing

Eligibility

Submissions are welcome from women between the ages of 16-45 who are citizens of and currently living in either Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe

“Our Voices” will focus on celebrating and highlighting women’s experiences, paying particular attention to:

• Intergenerational Stories: Celebrating not only the narratives of young women, but those of their mothers and the women that surround them.
• A Diversity of Voices: Celebrating the voices of women with diverse and often marginalised stories.
• The African Story: Celebrating the African story told through an African perspective. To make sure that our unique linguistic and cultural heritage is celebrated, submissions are encouraged to incorporate the use of local languages. E.g. in the form of dialogue, phrases and statements. All submissions must however be written and submitted in English.

Publication Token

Contributors will receive a token of $50 upon successful publication.

Works submitted remain the copyright of the artist after submission, however there is need to acknowledge the contribution of the platform should the work be subsequently published elsewhere.

Entrants are welcome to submit works that have been published previously, but must indicate the previous publisher and year of publication in the body of the email when submissions are sent.

All submissions must be emailed along with a short bio and headshot to pepetasubmissions@gmail.com by  Monday 28^th June 2020, 23:00 CAT.

Late submissions will not be opened or vetted.

“Our Voices” Timeline and Dates

Friday 29th May 2020	Opening of submission period
Friday 29th May 2020 – Sunday 28th June 2020	Receipt and Vetting of Submissions. Submissions will be read on a rolling basis. Entrants may receive information on the status of their submission any day between 29th May and 28th June 2020
Sunday 28th June 2020	Close of submission period
Monday 29th June – Monday 6th July 2020	Vetting of final submissions and editing
Monday 13th July 2020	Release of finished digital booklet

For all question and queries, please email the editor at msowoyatawo@gmail.com