"Maritime Writes Project" extends to other parts of the Country

.... To hold in Osun and Rivers State

Kathy Kyari

In a few weeks, the third iteration of the "Maritime Writes Project" will get underway, giving hundreds of young Nigerians free writing training while also exposing them to the nation's rich Maritime legacy.

The event, according to the organizers, will take place in three different states in Nigeria: Lagos, Osun, and Rivers. Participants are expected to visit the Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port in Lagos, the well-known Osun Grove, as well as some maritime assets in Bonny, Rivers State.

The Training is scheduled to take place as follows, Lagos LCCI Conference Centre Ikeja, 10th-12th August, 2023, Adeleke University in Ede on August 20th - 22nd, 2023, and Rivers state, August 25th - 26th 2023

Interested participants are expected to submit a 250-word entry essay on MARITIME HERITAGES with the deadline slated for July 31, 2023 through these links https://forms.gle/re4LCRe4oavBT2ea7 while those in BONNY are expected to register using https://forms.gle/vpriWeQzJnoWT5dBA.

The Project Coordinator, Ezinne Azunna spoke on the selection process “Interested participants are expected to send in an entry essay and following selection by our faculty, they can join our highly intensive Creative Writing Boot Camp at either of the venues.”

“Besides the training, participants have the chance of interacting with captains of industry who will serve as mentors during the training. We also offer each participant an opportunity of becoming published authors as the best five works from each state will be selected for publishing.”

Additionally, she highlighted that the finest 18 projects from the 2021–2022 participants are presently being produced into an anthology of maritime fiction. This collection will be displayed locally and internationally across maritime excursions.

The "Maritime Writes Project" is a creative writing initiative that teaches and mentors children, young people, men, and women in Nigeria to write fiction with a maritime setting or industry subject. A project of Media Traction, the company that owns Maritime TV Africa, it began in 2021 with 21 trainees attending the first four-day creative writing boot camp.

Less than 1% of the literature that is currently published has maritime or marine themes, according to the Maritime Writes Project Faculty. This means that encouraging early exposure to literature with maritime themes can influence children's career choices, with many unconsciously nurturing career dreams in maritime professions and providing the industry in Africa with exposure and leverage.