Four female writers from The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria for July Ebedi residency

FOUR female writers from The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria are already in Iseyin, Oyo State for the July 2019 Ebedi Writers Residency Session. The writers are Bintou Sanneh (The Gambia), Josephine Odura Attafuah (Ghana), Rabiat Muhammed Oyindamola (Nigeria) and Damilola Omotoyinbo (Nigeria).

Sanneh, who is a member of the Gambian Writers Association, is also a youth activist and sports lover.

Apart from her native language, Sanneh speaks French and English. She will be spending her time at Ebedi to complete her first novel.

She will also use the time to interact with secondary school students in Iseyin and environs in the areas of creative writing, as well as The Gambian culture.

Her visit to the Ebedi Residency will be her first visit to Nigeria.

The second writer, Attafuah, a member of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), is a graduate of  the University of Ghana, Legon.

She is a published author of a novel, The Helluva Dreamer.

Attafuah, who has over the years attended many leadership programmes in Ghana, speaks English and French, in addition to her native language.

Her visit to Ebedi, which will be her first visit to Nigeria, will be spent to complete her new book of fiction.

She will also use the period to mentor Iseyin students in the arts of poetry and Ghanaian culture.

Oyindamola, a native of Ogun State, and a graduate of the University of Ibadan, is the third writer.

A committed teacher of many years, Oyindamola also has flair for writing, which has resulted in the publication of a motivational book, ‘The Ingredients of Success’, which was published in December 2018.

She wants to use her time at Ebedi to sharpen her writing skills and complete work on her forthcoming book for children. Oyindamola, whose ultimate dream is to retire from teaching into full-time writing, will also spend her time at the residency to counsel students from Iseyin and its environs on their careers and the challenges of adulthood.

The fourth writer, Omotoyinbo, a native of Ondo State, is a graduate of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.

She also recently completed an online course in creative writing and has attended many other writing courses.

A winner of some literary awards, Oyindamola’s hobbies include blogging, sewing and dancing.

She hopes to use her time in Ebedi to complete work on her first full length fictional novel. She will also assist students in Iseyin and environs to think about how they can shape their world and influence the society positively.

The Ebedi International Writers Residency is a private initiative for writers to complete their ongoing works in a conducive environment at no cost. Since its inception in 2012, the facility has hosted more than 100 writers from 10 different African countries. It also offers publishing opportunities to its fellows through an arrangement with one of Nigeria’s foremost publishing outfits.