African Humanities Program

Manuscript Development Workshops

Starting in 2012, Fellows of the African Humanities Program (AHP) who completed their fellowship tenures were also given the opportunity to apply to attend a Manuscript Development Workshop (MDW) to discuss manuscripts with AHP mentors and other fellows in a weeklong, intensive retreat. Workshops combined mentorship from senior scholars with peers advocating for the participating scholars’ research. The format presents a unique opportunity for the authors to have their work read by colleagues from other parts of the continent, bringing diverse perspectives to bear on the manuscripts. 

MDWs create an international environment for intellectual exchange in a safe space where academic humility allows for an interdisciplinary fruitful discussion. The MDW format allows for a thorough interrogation of one’s manuscript by colleagues in various disciplines of the humanities and social sciences with the aim of publication. Authors who participated in the workshops were encouraged to submit their manuscripts to the African Humanities Series for publication. 

Thirteen workshops were held between 2012 and 2019 in all five AHP countries. In 2023, the new African Humanities Association (AHA) took over this activity and successfully held two workshops in Ghana and Tanzania. 

2012 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Roodevallej, Pretoria, South Africa
  • December 9-15, 2012
2nd MDW: 2013 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • December 13-19, 2013
3rd MDW: 2013 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Aburi-Akuapem, Ghana
  • June 8-15, 2013
4th MDW: 2014 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Pretoria, South Africa
  • May 30-June 4, 2014
5th MDW: 2014 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • September 14-19, 2014
6th MDW: 2015 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Kampala, Uganda
  • May 30 – June 4, 2015
7th MDW: 2016 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Accra, Ghana
  • January 24-30, 2016
8th MDW: 2016 – For Journal Articles
  • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • May 24-28, 2016
9th MDW: 2016 – For Journal Articles
  • Kampala, Uganda
  • October 4-8, 2016
10th MDW: 2017 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Aburi, Ghana
  • May 22-25, 2017
11th MDW: 2018 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • October 9-13, 2018
12th MDW: 2019 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Pretoria, South Africa
  • May 21-26, 2019
13th MDW: 2019 – For Book Manuscripts
  • Abuja, Nigeria
  • October 11-18, 2019
Scholar Development
AHP provided Fellows with diverse opportunities to network outside their primary institutions and supported the creation and circulation of knowledge.

Residencies

African humanities centers and institutes for advanced study affiliated with AHP provided space and resources for Fellows to embark on their research outside their home countries.

Manuscript Development Workshops

Weeklong, intensive retreats for Fellows who completed their fellowship tenures to discuss manuscripts with AHP mentors and other fellows.

African Humanities Voices

Video series chronicling stories of African scholars engaged in the reinvigoration of the humanities on the continent.

African Humanities Series

Subvention, developmental editing, and peer review to publish fellows’ monographs in a landmark book series covering topics in African histories, languages, literatures, and cultures.

Regional Assemblies

An annual meeting for knowledge sharing, networking, and assessment of humanities scholarship in Africa among AHP Alumni, fellows, assessors, mentors, advisers, and interested scholars.

African Studies Association

Partnership with the African Studies Association (ASA) in the United States to bring selected AHP Fellows to the ASA Annual Meeting as ASA Presidential Fellows.