Prince Claus Fund - Seed Awards

Queen Eyricah is a social worker and drag performer at the Nairobi Underground Ballroom Scene. They use drag art as an advocacy tool to shift perspectives and change the negative narratives and stereotypes often imposed on sexual and gender minorities. Queen Eyricah also highlights issues on safe spaces, gender identity, inclusion, expression, and visibility in response to the lack of visibility of sexual and gender minorities as well as creative drag performers in Kenya.

Aluoch Oito is an independent filmmaker based in Kenya. In her practice, she uses films as a tool of social advocacy to realize her vision of a just society which upholds human dignity indiscriminately. Among others, Aluoch’s works include “The Gap”, “Kisumu House of Terror”, and “Tackling Malindi’s Dirty Secret”.

A Nigerian writer and visual artist whose work explores the body in the context of memory, African-futurism, mythology, migration, utopia, and the unconscious self. Published in 2018, his African-futurist collection of short stories “We Won’t Fade into Darkness” was shortlisted for the Saraba Manuscript Prize. His debut novel “The Madhouse” was published in 2021 by Masobe Books and Penguin Random House SA, while his second novel “People Live Here” is slated for a 2022 release.

Ochai Ogaba is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer based in Kaduna State, Nigeria. He is the founder and creative director of Mud Art Dance Company. In his practice, he uses dance and photography to tell stories that highlight the history, culture, heritage, and daily lives of the people in the northern region of Nigeria. He is driven by the passion to heal and create safe spaces from sectarian wars and terrorism in Northern Nigeria, using the arts and culture as a tool.

DORMANTYOUTH is a Johannesburg-based, non-binary (they/them) architect, who uses their alias to express DJ-ing as a research method for their now complete masters dissertation in Architecture (GSA at the University of Johannesburg) on mixing music as an act of temporal place-making within the night club space. This was born from their obsession with the intersection of music and architecture within music subculture gatherings in nocturnal Johannesburg.  

Motlhoki completed her Honours in Fine Art at the University of the Witwatersrand, graduated with five distinctions and two awards. Her studio practice is in Johannesburg. She uses video and printmaking as tools to investigate the textures of intimacies and violences implicated in romantic love. Nuanced ideas of inheritance, consumption, texture, and materiality are notable qualities in her work. Her practice is characterised by a valorisation, problematisation and curiosity towards black love. 

MERVKi The Creator, Emmanuel Tchawi is a content creator, creative director and a fashion designer based in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. He graduated from the University of Dar es salaam with a BA in Art and films in 2020. Over the years he has been working with international photographers, designers, and creators to produce visual content and collections inspired by African culture and society. His work produces Impactful images which were exhibited at Nafasi Art space in Dar es Salaam in 2019.

A Tunisian artist, Baya graduated in cinema and Philosophy at the University of Vincennes - Saint Denis (Paris). She started as an actress and singer before turning to documentary and experimental filmmaking. In 2019, she was an assistant director in the film "Bidoun 4" by Jilani Saadi. In 2021 she released her first short essay "Festina Lenteيا عم الشيفور" which premiered at FID Marseille and was awarded an artistic excellence prize at Festival des Cinémas Différents et Expérimentaux de Paris.

Letaru is a Ugandan visual and conceptual artist based in Kampala. Social scientist by training, she studied a Bachelor's of Social Sciences programme, majoring in Humanitarian Law (2014) and received a Masters degree in International Development from Sciences Po Paris, France. Exhibited as part of Collage Broadly Defined, and Playing to the Gallery at Afriart Gallery Kampala in 2020; her work reexamines history, comments on post-colonialism and responds to the current socio-political events.

Based in Harare, Millz is a playwright, actor, gamer, and public advocacy consultant. He has an MA in Public Advocacy and Activism (National University of Ireland, Galway - 2020) and has a BA in Theatre Arts (University of Zimbabwe - 2013). As a scholar-practitioner, his artistic practice is focused on formulating actionable frameworks for integrating young people, the arts, and technology with advocacy efforts, to affect change and influence socio-cultural, political, and economic development.