Commission: Bringing Black Welsh Histories to Life
Fee: £500 per 1000 words written commission. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
We are seeking Black Welsh writers, researchers, and creatives of the African diaspora and Caribbean communities based in Wales – to contribute written pieces that bring Black Welsh histories to life.
We are inviting storytelling that is creative, insightful, and grounded in real events. Outcome should be approximately 1,000 words, written in a journalistic or creative non-fiction style, with the aim of being used as educational resources and published on our website.
Your work will contribute to ‘Kumbukumbu’, a digital platform that maps Welsh-African heritage through storytelling and history. The project explores how Wales – with its own legacy of colonisation and a deep culture of remembering through language, place, and story – can be a space of shared memory, solidarity, and reimagination.
What We’re Looking For:
We are interested in Welsh-African heritage and culture, which we define as any connection between Wales and Africa. This includes:
- The lives and contributions of people of African and Caribbean descent in Wales
- The history of people from Wales in Africa
- Stories that connect to specific landmarks or locations – buildings, statues, roads, ports, sites, or objects – helping us ground memory in place
- We welcome a wide historical scope: from the Roman era to contemporary Wales. We want stories that are challenging, joyful, painful, inspiring, and everything in between.
- Monuments recently reviewed in relation to slavery and colonial history
- Places of importance to Black Welsh history or culture (for example, The African Institute of Colwyn Bay, The Casablanca in Cardiff Docks).
- People of importance such as Billy Boston, ‘Black Jack’, Patti Flynn, Betty Campbell, Shirley Bassey, Cuthbert Taylor, Jessie Donaldson, and many others.
- Important Events, such as The Battle of Swansea, The Race Riots of 1919, the history of Abolitionism, Activism and Resistance in Wales.
We are especially keen to include under-represented histories that might otherwise be overlooked, forgotten, or untold.
Who Can Apply:
- Black Welsh writers, researchers, and artists.
- Individuals of African and Caribbean descent or from the African diaspora based in Wales
- Whether you are experienced or emerging, if you have a strong idea and a passion for storytelling, we want to hear from you.
How to Apply:
Please send us:
- A short-written sample (150-200 words) outlining your idea. This shouldn’t be a complete piece of writing, but it should give a sense on how the final piece will read.
- A short bio and/or relevant links or samples of previous work.
- Send application to: ophelia.dossantos@ssap.org.uk (specifying Writer Call Out in the email’s Subject).
Deadline: 12pm, 14th September 2025