By George Ozalla
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has unveiled a new literary anthology titled Instances of Exceptional Moments of Hunger, bringing together a new generation of writers from Africa and the Caribbean in a project aimed at expanding the reach of voices from the Global Africa community.
The collection, developed under its Creative Africa Nexus programme, draws from participants of the 2024 creative writing workshop, where young writers were selected and guided through an intensive process designed to refine their craft and prepare their work for global readership.
The anthology features contributions from nineteen writers representing sixteen countries, offering a mix of stories that cut across language, culture and geography. Some of the works were originally written in Arabic, French and Portuguese and later translated into English, allowing the collection to speak to a wider international audience.
Published in collaboration with Narrative Landscape Press, the book explores themes of identity, survival, memory and personal transformation, presenting layered narratives that reflect both individual experiences and shared realities across continents.
Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, Kanayo Awani, said the initiative is part of a broader effort to invest in Africa’s creative economy by developing intellectual property that can extend beyond literature into film and other media platforms.
The anthology emerged from a residential workshop held in Ghana, where selected writers worked closely with mentors in a structured environment that emphasised discipline, storytelling depth and originality.
Beyond its literary value, the project also signals a deliberate push by the bank into the creative space, with plans already in view to take some of the stories beyond the pages of the book.
The African Export-Import Bank was established to support trade across the continent and has in recent years widened its activities to include sectors that shape Africa’s cultural voice and global presence.
