A new literary initiative, The Pan-African Chain, has opened applications for a collaborative storytelling project that will bring together five writers from five African regions to produce a single continuous narrative.
Created by Talescapes in partnership with the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit), the project will take the form of a Mosaic Novel — a structured relay of interconnected chapters written sequentially across the continent.
At the centre of the experiment is a single narrative anchor: a cowrie shell.
The project is guided by the manifesto, “The object changes. The story remains.” Each selected writer will receive the story at a specific regional stage and continue it within a defined structural framework.
The cowrie shell functions as the only fixed element in the novel. It must appear in every chapter and physically travel from one region to the next within the plot. While its physical form cannot be altered, its meaning must be redefined by each writer according to their regional and cultural context.
In one chapter, the shell may be sacred. In another, it may serve as currency, an ornament, an inheritance, evidence, a relic, or an omen. The symbolic value is fluid; the object itself is not.
Each chapter must conclude by setting the shell in motion toward the next region, whether by mail, theft, gift, disappearance, or chance.
The narrative will travel in the following order:
- West Africa — The Origin: Establishes the shell’s initial meaning.
- North Africa — The Shift: Continues the timeline and reframes perspective.
- East Africa — The Expansion: Develops and expands the emerging lore.
- Central Africa — The Deepening: Raises the narrative stakes.
- Southern Africa — The Resolution: Concludes the chain.
The structure is designed to examine how stories evolve as they cross geographical, cultural, and ideological borders, while maintaining narrative continuity.
Submission Details
Applications are now open to writers of African descent or those residing in the region they wish to represent.
Key guidelines include:
- Genre: Open (literary fiction, speculative fiction, realism, mystery, hybrid forms), provided the chapter integrates seamlessly with the preceding text.
- Word Count: 2,000–3,000 words per chapter.
- Timeline: A strict three-week drafting window between April and June.
- Collaboration: Writers must adhere to continuity requirements and meet deadlines.
Applications for The Pan-African Chain are now open. Selected writers will participate in a structured literary relay that aims to demonstrate how African narratives remain interconnected, even as meaning shifts across borders.
Interested writers can apply through the official submission portal.
Best of luck to all applicants!
