About this opportunity
The Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science has opened its annual call for Creatives in Residence. The programme connects Africa's creative industries with a leading academic community, on the premise that creative practice can carry difficult research ideas about inequality, political change, social movements, technology, conflict, climate and identity to audiences that academic publications rarely reach. The current call was published on 9 September 2026 and closes on 7 October 2026.
A Creative in Residence is affiliated with FLIA for an initial one-year period, with the possibility of renewal, and is expected to become an active participant in the Institute's intellectual life rather than an observer. Residents work alongside scholars, students, policy specialists and public engagement teams, and draw on FLIA's wider environment, which includes the Programme for African Leadership, the Hub for African Thought, Africa at LSE and the LSE Africa Summit. The practical requirement is real: successful applicants must be able to spend time in London so they can integrate into that community.
The appointment is structured around tangible outputs. Each resident produces one creative work, contributes to either the Institute's blog or the Hub for African Thought, and takes part in at least one event during the term. The medium is open, and FLIA's own creative engagement work has run across blogs, podcasts, paintings, comics and photography, so film, documentary, visual art, graphic design, illustration, digital media, writing, performance and research-based installation all sit within what the programme supports.
Proposals may align with, but are not restricted to, FLIA's five research themes for 2026 to 2029: Trade and Industry, Women Peace and Security, Sustainable Multispecies Futures, Activism Influence and Change, and Digital Cooperation and Sovereignty. They can also connect with LSE's five strategic themes of political economy, inequality, sustainability, future technologies and democracy, or with the LSE Africa Summit theme of reparations. One point to read carefully before you plan: the current announcement does not state a stipend, salary, travel allowance, accommodation support or visa funding, so applicants who would need financial clarity to spend time in London should raise it with FLIA directly.
What you receive
- An initial one-year affiliation with the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at LSE, with the possibility of renewal
- Direct collaboration with academics and researchers on Africa-focused social science
- Access to FLIA's intellectual community, including the Programme for African Leadership, the Hub for African Thought and the LSE Africa Summit
- An institutional platform for a substantial public-facing creative output
- A role in inspiring and opening up creative industry opportunities for Programme for African Leadership students and alumni
- No formal academic qualification is required, so practice-led careers are recognised
Who can apply
- Open to anyone of African nationality or African descent, including members of the African diaspora, wherever they are based
- A record of creativity, innovation and leadership in your practice
- The ability to spend time in London during the affiliation so you can take part in the Institute's intellectual community
- A project that connects creative practice with social-science questions and African experiences, debates or creative industries
- Willingness to produce one creative output, contribute to the FLIA blog or the Hub for African Thought, and take part in at least one event
- The current call sets no mandatory bachelor's, master's, PhD or other academic qualification
Who should not apply
- Applicants who cannot spend time in London will not be able to take up the residency
- People without African nationality or African descent are outside the stated eligibility for this call
- The announcement does not confirm funding, so costs of travel, accommodation and visas should not be assumed to be covered
- The residency is not an independent study-abroad placement. Residents are expected to engage with the Institute's community and deliver public-facing outputs
Documents to prepare
- Examples of your previous work, in accessible links or formats that show your contribution to each project
- A project proposal describing what you plan to undertake during the residency
- A summary of the outputs you hope to produce by the end of the fellowship
How to apply
- Read the announcement on the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa website and look at FLIA's five research themes for 2026 to 2029, LSE's strategic themes and the reparations summit theme for possible angles.
- Choose the examples that best show creative quality, originality, your ability to communicate ideas and your experience with public or social issues, and make sure the links open easily.
- Write a proposal that says what you want to create, the research question or issue it addresses, why the topic matters, why FLIA and LSE are the right environment, which audiences you want to reach and what is realistic inside one year.
- Set out concrete deliverables in your output summary, naming the film, photographic series, exhibition, podcast, publication or other product rather than a general aim.
- Email your previous work, project proposal and output summary to Mark Briggs at the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at m.a.briggs@lse.ac.uk before 7 October 2026.
- If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom, ask FLIA about travel, accommodation and visa expectations before you make major commitments.
Selection process
- FLIA reviews the submitted portfolio, project proposal and output summary, with weight on the quality of your creative practice, the strength of your track record and the feasibility of what you propose.
- Reviewers look for creatives who can genuinely work with academic research and help generate change through creative outputs.
- The announcement does not publish a formal scoring rubric, so applicants are advised to make the connection between their practice and FLIA's research priorities explicit.
- Selected creatives are affiliated with the Institute for an initial one-year term, with renewal possible.
Sources and verification
- Official source , Discovered by the opportunity automation module.
Questions applicants ask
Do I need an academic degree?
No specific degree requirement is stated in the current call. FLIA describes Creatives in Residence as including both academics and non-academics who work in or on the creative industry in Africa, so a strong body of practice can carry the application.
Is the residency funded?
The current official call does not state a stipend, salary, grant amount, travel allowance, accommodation support or visa funding. Because residents must be able to spend time in London, international applicants should contact FLIA directly about these questions before making plans.
Do I have to move to London for the whole year?
The requirement in the call is that successful applicants must be able to spend time in London to integrate into the Institute's intellectual community. It does not state that residents must relocate permanently for the entire year, so confirm the practical expectation with FLIA if you are selected.
Can I work in any creative medium?
Yes. The announcement does not limit applications to one artistic form. Current residents include a media entrepreneur working across advertising, public relations, television, radio, print and digital, a documentary filmmaker, a social designer and AI ethics researcher, and a communications and graphics consultant.
What exactly am I expected to deliver?
Three things: one creative output, a contribution to either the Institute's blog or the Hub for African Thought, and participation in at least one event during the term.
Is there an online application portal?
No separate portal is specified. Applications are sent by email to the Institute with your previous work, project proposal and a summary of intended outputs.
Does my proposal have to follow FLIA's research themes?
Not exclusively. Proposals may align with FLIA's themes, LSE's five strategic themes, gaps in existing thematic work, an existing FLIA research project or the LSE Africa Summit theme of reparations, but the call states they are not restricted to these.
Important disclaimer
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