***UPDATE 2/27: Whew! This campaign has ended! I would like to thank everyone who contributed and supported my efforts! I look forward to sharing my stories with you as well as sending great gifts your way! Thank you again and I hope to see you on the other side of Africa!!!
***UPDATE 7/24: CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE PICKED MEEEEEE!!!!!
When I started this campaign over a month ago, I was hanging on a hope and a prayer... Today, I am one of 24 selected out of 850 writers for a workshop with the world renown author!!!!
With mere hours left to fundraise, I REALLY need your support today! The workshop is two weeks in Lagos, Nigeria with room and board provided, I only need to get there! Your donation will now help with:
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the acquisition of a ticket from Entebbe to Lagos
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and a visa for entry into Nigeria
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TODAY AND HELP ME WRITE WITH THE AUTHOR OF AMERICANAH AND PURPLE HIBISCUS, Ms Chimamanda Adichie!
***ALSO, PLEASE follow my blog for updates and my writing: www.lastletterfirstword.com
THANK YOU!!!!
***UPDATE 6/29: I am at 14% of my goal with 28 days left to go! My heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed! Please help me get the word out about this campaign by sharing via Twitter and Facebook.
ALSO, please follow my blog www.lastletterfirstword.com for #28daysofwriting. From June 27 through July 25, I showcase pieces that reflect my varied journey as a writer while giving readers a glimpse of the overall aesthetic of my work.
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"She is Black like us, but she is not an African,' is what the teacher said when explaining my American English to the class. I, who sat in khaki trousers and Teva sandals and surrounded by Ugandans with faces as brown as mine, would not be allowed to pass as the mysterious African girl and pretend that I too had a name, a tribe, a history. That teacher would remind me and let all others know that I was different."
In 2008, I studied in Uganda for three months and fell in love with Africa. As a Black-American woman there, so many moments were greeted with both curiosity and longing-- for answers, for closure, for more...
This campaign will help me return to East Africa for another three months and continue working on the development of a story. Through artful prose and candid storytelling, The Black American Mzungu Literary Project will serve as a testament to my challenges, triumphs, passion and, ultimately, my love for the continent and how I unearthed the makings of myself.
About the Gift you Give and the Gifts you Get
I presently work with a nonprofit on a contract that ends in mid-July. Shortly thereafter, I will leave for my 3-month journey to East Africa. While I have purchased my ticket to Uganda, I am reaching out to you to help me raise funds to sustain myself while there, travel safely within the continent to broaden my experiences, and to possibly (hopefully) spend time in Nigeria to write with world-renown African authors such as Binyavanga Wainaina and Chimamanda Adichie (<<<this is contingent upon the pending decision from the keepers of the Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop. Those selected will be notified by July 22nd. Cross your fingers with me! :)
In addition to what I am raising to get there and live in the country for three months, your contribution will also help cover the costs of preventative malaria meds, a tetanus shot, and my last Hepatitis vaccine.
Finally, your gift warrants a gift! (This is the VERY exciting part!) I have awesome, awesome perks that will be handmade by some very special friends in Mukono, Uganda. There is something special for every contribution level so no one is left without that warm, fuzzy feeling. Here's what's in it for you:
$5-- Your Name in (Computer) Lights
When you give $5, look for an update on my blog page on June 25, July 5th, July 15th, and July 25th and see your name in lights!
$10—A Social Media Salute
A personal thank you via status updates, tweets, and tweetgrams on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Not a social media user? No worries! I will send you an email of gratitude or a thank you text.
$25—An African Love Letter*
I will write a personal note of thanks to be sent to you from me while I am in Uganda!
$32—The Perfect Coin Purse*
Below you will learn about how your contribution will also help Ugandan girls with special needs learn a life-sustaining trade. $32 is the cost of one month's education for one of these young ladies. When you make this contribution, you will receive a coin purse cut from African cloth and made by one of these students with a personal note of thanks.
$50—Woven Placemat Set*--
With your $50 contribution, you will receive a seven-piece placemat set and a personal note of thanks.
$80—Hostess with the Mostess Bundle*
When you contribute $80 you will receive a beautiful handmade apron along with a seven-piece placemat set and a personal note of thanks.
$100—1 ticket for A BAM Affair + For the <3 of Uganda Bundle*
With your $100 contribution, you will receive one ticket to A BAM Affair and a For the Love of Uganda bundle which will include a handmade coin purse, an apron, a set of woven placemats, and a personal note of thanks.
$250—2 tickets to A BAM Affair + For the <3 of Uganda Bundle*
With your $250, you will receive a ticket for you and a guest to A BAM Affair and a For the Love of Uganda Bundle. There will also be an additional surprise gift for you—I will find it when I get there!
$500+ —I Just Can’t Believe It Bundle*
With this contribution, you will receive all of the gifts above (including the surprise gift that is TBD) and a very special print of the painting, Shadows on a Tin Roof by talented artist and friend, TatManD. This painting is a re-creation of a picture taken during a circumcision ritual that was performed in a Bagisu village during my visit in 2008.
*-Please expect these perks to be shipped after my early-November arrival back into the States as these items will be handmade in Mukono and returning with me.
The Impact
As you've probably noticed, most of the perks included in this campaign are handcrafted items from Uganda-- and with good reason. Forty percent of my $6500 goal is to help reopen a school for girls with special needs in Mukono.
My friends, Robert and Jemimah, are artisans in this part of Uganda. Jemimah, who lost the use of her legs when very young and was made an outcast during the reign of Idi Amin, has fought for an independent lifestyle through craftmaking. Today, she and her amazing husband, Robert, have a thriving business that is highly regarded in the Mukono community.
I am still very committed to this effort to reopen The Ebenezer School in Mukono and part of the funds raised here will be contributed to this effort.
Other Ways You Can Help
I love supporting my friends in their endeavors and somehow I believe we are all wired to feel the same way. If you'd like to help, but are unable to send a monetary contribution, there are many other ways to show your support. Here are just a few ideas:
- Say a prayer, send good vibrations, hold me to the Light. These little powerful gestures are usually the buffers between sanity and mindlessness. I am depending on these vibes to get me through the challenging times.
- Share this campaign with others via email, social media, word of mouth, handwritten notes, and any other medium you can think of. I would really appreciate it.
- Help me stuff these perks! Boy oh boy, if this campaign turns out to be a success, I'm gonna have my work cut out for me! The more hands I have around to help me organize and arrange these packages for delivery, the better.
- Incoming mail! Did I mention that I love long notes? If you're interested in having a pen pal or if you'd like to send me a real birthday card (I will celebrate in Uganda on September 24) while I am away, I would LOVE it! Really. And when you do, I will write you back. Promise!
Other than that, if you can, I hope you will give-- And I will see you on the other side of Africa! Be well.
