The Writivism Literary Initiative, a project of the Centre for African Cultural Excellence is looking to fill various vacancies in its staff and volunteers’ roll for the 2019 season.
Writivism is a Kampala-based project that runs two literary prizes, an online mentoring program, publishes anthologies through Black Letter Media, curates an annual literary festival in Kampala, including outreach activities to schools, hospitals and markets with Uganda Reading; and facilitates a writing (editing) residency at Stellenbosch University.
The available vacancies are all part-time and mostly remote except where specified and between July 20 and August 20, 2019 when all staff and volunteers will be required to reside in and around Kampala.
Successful applicants will each sign an eight month contract (agreement of service) commencing February 1 and expiring September 30, 2019 except in specified circumstances.
We are looking for individuals whose interest in our work stems from their commitment to our mission and objectives as a project and to the values and philosophy of the Centre for African Cultural Excellence as an organization.
We prefer staff and volunteers who are interested in developing their own careers as creative writers or other associated occupations. We will ask successful applicants to participate in our writer development programs majorly the online mentoring programme, through which they will produce at least one publishable short story or piece of creative nonfiction. Applicants who have previously submitted stories to one of our prizes or participated in our other programmes for example attending our annual festival in Kampala among others, are preferred.
We will consider applications submitted before Friday January 11, 2019: and will hold interviews between January 14 and 18, 2019.
All applications must be submitted online by email to info@writivism.com with esther@writivism.com, in copy.
The staff and volunteer vacancies available are:
Staff Vacancies;
1. Online Editor
You will develop content for the Writivism blog, and social media accounts, namely, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The online editor will generate and publish press releases on the project blog, generate and publish content on the festival website, and supervise social media assistants handling the project’s social media accounts. The online editor will also be responsible for the live streaming and live tweeting and coverage of project events and activities, marketing the anthologies of the project online, engaging online audiences in the name of the project and managing the brand of the project, online. The online editor will report directly to the managing editor.
Emerging writers with an interest in social media content generation are advised to apply. This is a paid position, starting February 1, and ending September 30, 2019. Applicants are not required to live in Kampala, but should be able to travel there for the duration of the annual festival and be flexible enough to travel elsewhere on Writivism duty.
2. Outreach officer
We are putting more emphasis on our outreach activities in 2019, adding to our visits to a hospital and open air market partnership with Uganda Reading new activities. The outreach officer will be Writivism’s lead for the partnership with Uganda Reading, will manage a partnership with 40/40 Foundation that engages primary and secondary school going children, will develop new partnerships with universities, urban youth communities, and will implement our rural outreach strategy. This role requires an applicant with excellent social and mobilization skills. The applicant must have strong language skills, most importantly Luganda and English. This is a paid position, starting June 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
3. Media officer
Our communications strategy considers broadcast and print media as essential for the work we do. The media officer’s core task is to make the work of print and broadcast journalists as regards the Writivism project, easier. The media officer will put in place partnerships with media houses, supply journalists with necessary information, tips, and special access including accreditation to the festival. The media officer will ensure the project makes sense to broadcast and print media.
Applicants who have experience working for Ugandan print or / and broadcast media are preferred. This is a paid position, starting February 1, and ending September 30, 2019.
4. Logistics officer
The logistics officer is the fulcrum of all project activities during the June to August, 2019 months. It is the job of the logistics officer to ensure that all in country transport needs of the project are sorted, that all venue arrangements are made in time, that all needs of festival performers, and speakers are met, that everyone is fed, on time, that the stages are set, etc. The logistics officer is a fixer.
Applicants with experience in events management are especially encouraged. This is a paid position, starting June 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
5. Production officer
The production officer is the assistant to the festival curator, and managing editor. They will be responsible for the substance of festival events, briefing speakers, arranging pre-appearance meetings, rehearsals and other preparations and ensuring that all festival events are executed without glitches. The production officer will be responsible for the flow of the festival schedule, working directly with partners, performers and speakers to achieve the artistic purpose of every event.
Applicants with a background in curating arts programmes are highly encouraged to apply. The ability to interpret the artistic visions for every single event and bring them to fruition is central to the role. This is a paid position, starting June 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
All Payment rates are negotiable, with set floors and ceilings, and considering other factors ranging from experience, qualifications and collaboration with entities specific applicants maybe associated with. We think mostly about these relationships as collaborations and partnerships than strictly those of an employment nature.
Volunteers and Interns’ Vacancies;
6. Blog contributor
We are interested in book reviews, events previews and reviews, listicles, interviews, features, commentaries, and other content that promotes African literature, arts and culture in general, to publish on our blog. We provide books for signed up reviewers. We are interested in blog contributors who already run their own personal blogs such that content commissioned for our blog links to their own blogs. In the past, we have recruited promising talent to join our core staff from the pool of blog contributors.
This is an unpaid position, starting February 1, and ending September 30, 2019. Blog contributors report to the online editor.
7. Social media assistant
Writivism started as an online network and so we take our online presence very seriously. Our primary audiences are on social media, and so we consider those who run our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the heart of our work. Reporting to the online editor, the social media assistant runs our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Familiarity with our social media is crucial to this role, a keen eye for trends and ability to follow closely members of the Writivism community are a big plus. This is an unpaid position, starting February 1, and ending September 30, 2019.
8. Research Assistant
The research assistant will work directly in our legacy publications unit. We are working on long term publications on the legacy of Writivism, leading up to our tenth anniversary. The research assistant will work closely with the managing editor and the project founder to compile and sort materials for legacy publications.
Applicants who are interested in future academic and archival work around African literature, literary activism, literary networks, cultural production, etc are encouraged to apply. This is an unpaid position, starting February 1, and ending December 30, 2019. This role requires an extra dose of reading, and not always literary material.
9. Production Assistant
Production assistants support specific event curators to implement their visions. They are allocated particular events and are on hand to assist partners, the production officer and festival curator to prepare, execute and evaluate individual events. This is an unpaid position, starting August 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
10. Logistics Assistant
Who needs a ride, where is the first aid kit, has the supplier of prop this delivered, and other such details that go into events management are the things logistics assistants handle. They report to the logistics officer. This is an unpaid position, starting August 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
11. Sales Assistant
Festival and project merchandise, from shirts to bracelets and books are all sold through an official festival shop run by the sales assistant. Ability to keep records is key to the role.
This is an unpaid position, starting August 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
12. Hospitality Assistant
Otherwise called ushers, sometimes minders, hospitality assistants make everyone feel welcome at events. They have information about everything and smile at everyone. People skills are key to the role. This is an unpaid position, starting August 1, and ending August 30, 2019.
We strive to support our volunteers and interns with resources to enable them to carry out their duties but in no way does such facilitation stand in for renumeration. We also pick interest in their career interests and are proud that our former interns and volunteers are doing great things with their post-Writivism lives.
If you are interested in any of the roles advertised, send us a cover email and by attachment the following documents (in PDF format):
1. Application letter
2. Recently updated resume (CV)
3. Motivation Essay (explain to us how your service to Writivism contributes to your personal and career growth – 1000 words maximum).
4. Short Story / Creative Nonfiction / Poetry (2500-3500 words for prose, five poems of any length for poetry)
5. One recommendation letter
The subject of your email should read: #Writivism2019 Application: Your Name – Role Title. For example, #Writivism2019 Application: Esther Mirembe – Managing Editor.
It is acceptable to apply for more then one role. When you do, you must send separate emails (and attachments) for each role.
Writivism 