Submit to Qwani 03

For Qwani 03, we are taking a different route by publishing a themed edition. Our theme is Maandamano / Protests. We want your pieces surrounding the 2024 Kenyan Protests; Poetry, Sheng, Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Comics, etc. The submission window closes on Saturday, 30th November, 2024 at 11:59 pm (EAT)

Submit to Qwani 03

About Qwani

Qwani is a youth-led organization which was initially started with the purpose of providing a platform for young writers to get their works published, but over time, has grown into a community that encompasses all kinds of creatives, including artists, musicians, film-makers, illustrators, craft-makers, as well as anyone else.

Qwani

Literary Voices Unleashed

Qwani is a vibrant youth-led initiative, serving as a dynamic platform for emerging writers. It celebrates diversity in literature, showcasing fresh perspectives across various forms of writing, from gripping short stories to evocative poetry.

VIBRANT LITERATURE AND FUN EVENTS

Qwani hosts engaging events, including book launches and writers’ forums, to celebrate and inspire the literary community

Hikes

Since nothing unites people better more than common hatred or common suffering, we figured out that the only way we could have unite this people, with some positive suffering, was by going on hikes. On the positive side, hikes are a great opportunity to go outdoors, touch some grass, breathe some fresh air, swim, hug trees, sit at the edge of a cliff, get sunkissed… Make sure you look out for them, usually held on the last Saturday of every month.

Sketch Tours

Sketch Tours are basically a combination of HISTORY, ART & PSYCHO-GEOGRAPHY, in the sense that we get to WALK along a street (eg Kenyatta Avenue, Muindi Mbingu Street, Haile Selassie Avenue etc) while being taught about the HISTORY of the buildings (eg Kipande House, McMillan Library, Jeevanjee Gardens, Nyayo House etc), and then stopping regularly to sketch anything interesting in the surroundings (eg the street, cars, buildings, people etc). Look out for us on the second-last Sunday of every month.

Poetry and Letter Reading sessions

In these sessions, people submit a written poem or unconventional letter to our email on the week prior (between Monday and Friday), and then we’ll print them and avail them on-site. There, we’ll distribute them amongst the audience, read them together, and openly criticize them. The goal is to improve our writing skills (in the case of the poems), as well as let out our feelings (in the case of the letters). Look out for us at the American Corner (5th Floor of the Bazaar Building on Moi Avenue) on one of the Tuesdays every month.

Karaoke Sessions

There’s nothing better than singing a Sauti Sol with your drunk friends. Singing Lazizi with your heartbroken friends. Singing Suzanna with your Luhya friends. Singing Live and Die in Afrika with your Afrika. And eventually, singing Midnight Train with the whole group. If you don’t know happiness, then, dear brother and sister, let us introduce you to it. Join us on one Saturday night every two months, and get your chance to break the nearby glass.

Book Discussions

Every month, we invite a panel of four authors from the book, to a public discussion, whereby, two members selected from the audience would read out an excerpt of the work, giving way to the author to explain the inspiration behind their work, and then open the stage to the audience to ask questions or offer their criticisms, reviews and opinions on the piece. At the end of it all, there’ll be an autograph session, whereby members of the audience get their books signed by the authors of the day. - Look out for us at the American Corner (5th Floor of the Bazaar Building on Moi Avenue) on one of the Tuesdays every month.

Cycling Tours

In case you’d love to increase the mass of your thighs, then this is the place to do so. We started gently with the forests in Nairobi, but are slowly moving to the roads in the outskirts. Do you love nature? Here’s your chance to cycle and re-cycle(haha).

Art & Craft Sessions

Art is good for the soul. Creating art gives you a moment to open your soul to the outer world, and let it roam free on a paint brush. And so, we’ve decided to give people a chance to do that. On one Saturday every 4 months, we usually meet for a Crafts session, where, on one corner, we have people learning how to paint, on the other side, we have people learning bead-making, and on the last side, we have people learning how to crotchet, as well as any other skill that the people would demand. Do join, us, if this is your thing.

Picnics

We know that quality time is your love language, so, join us on one of the Saturdays every 2 months, as we hold a picnic at Arboretum.

Open Mics

During our 1st Book launch, the program of events was basically alternating between Poetry readings and Musical performances. Since the attendees loved these performances, we figured out that we could just hold them regularly. Besides entertainment, we use them to give upcoming musicians, poets and spoken-word performers a chance to showcase their talent. This happens on one Saturday every two months.

Trivia Nights

During our trivia nights, we usually have a Board game session first, where people can freely mingle and choose which games they want to play, then a Kahoots session next, where people can compete to answer a set of questions through their phone. And finally, we usually have a Quiz session, where teams of 5 people compete to answer questions, and the team that answers the most wins. Do you think you know all 55 capital cities of Africa? Or Kiswahili methalis? Or Geography facts? Or the latest Sports news? Join us on one Friday every 3 months for your chance to shine.