The Africa World Initiative (AWI) at Princeton University is pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the 2026 Mpala Artists and Writers Residency: Frank Njugi (Kenya), selected as the residency’s first Writer Fellow, and Elizabeth Kobusinge (Uganda), selected as the inaugural Visual Artist Fellow.
Established by the Africa World Initiative in partnership with Princeton University’s Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs and the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya, the Mpala Artists and Writers Residency was created to support East African artists and writers whose work engages deeply with the histories, cultures, environments, and lived realities of the region. The program is further strengthened through partnerships with two of Kenya’s leading cultural organizations, the GoDown Arts Centre and the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), creating opportunities for public engagement, exhibitions, readings, and intellectual exchange.
Meet The Fellows
2026 Writer Fellow: Frank Njugi
Frank Njugi is a Kenyan writer, poet, cultural journalist, critic, and editor based in Nairobi. His work has appeared in numerous literary and cultural publications across Africa and beyond. Njugi is recognized for writing that engages questions of youth, memory, urban experience, and social transformation. A 2024 JAY Lit Prize for Non-Fiction Winner, a JAY Lit contributor, a Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of several emerging writer distinctions, he until recently served as the East African Correspondent for Afrocritik. His chapbook, Ujana, has been praised for its exploration of youth, place, and selfhood in contemporary East Africa.
2026 Visual Artist Fellow: Liz Kobusinge
Liz Kobusinge is a Kampala-based artist whose practice explores the materiality of memory. Working with handmade paper, natural dyes, installation, video, and printmaking, Kobusinge has developed an artistic language rooted in rituals of remembrance. Her work has been exhibited in Africa and Europe, and she has participated in residencies and collaborative projects in Uganda, South Africa, Colombia, and elsewhere.
In her words, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Director of the Africa World Initiative at Princeton University, said:
“The Mpala Residency, for which we are grateful to our donors and Kenyan partners, exemplifies our commitment to innovative approaches that foster direct and meaningful engagement with knowledge production on the African continent.”
Two committees comprising distinguished writers, scholars, and artists from Africa and beyond selected the inaugural fellows. The writer selection committee comprised:
- Wendy Laura Belcher, Professor and Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at Princeton University.
- Kenyan novelist and writer, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
- Writer and Lancaster University academic, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
- Akin Adesokan, writer and Professor of Comparative Studies and Media Studies at Indiana University Bloomington.
The visual artist selection committee comprised:
- Robel Temesgen, artist and founder of Addis Fine Art.
- Michael Armitage, artist and founder of the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.
- Anna Arabindan-Kesson, Associate Professor of Art History at Princeton University.
- Portia Malatjie, Senior Lecturer at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, and former curator at Johannesburg Art Gallery.
In its citation, the Africa World Initiative acknowledged the partnership of the GoDown Arts Centre, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, and the Mpala Research Centre in bringing the programme to life.
The Mpala Artists and Writers Residency is fully funded through the generous gift of Tracy Higgins ’86 P25, Professor of Law at Fordham University, and James Leitner S’86. Their visionary support established the fellowship and created new opportunities for creative and intellectual exchange between Princeton University, East Africa, and the broader global community.
About the Africa World Initiative
The Africa World Initiative at Princeton University fosters scholarship, creative practice, and public engagement centered on Africa and its global diaspora.
Congratulations, Frank Njugi, and Liz Kobusinge!
