Arts, Design, Media & Creative Industries
Non-Fiction Writer / Essayist
Essays, journalism, and non-fiction books
What this life looks like
You use words to make sense of the real world. Non-Fiction Writers and Essayists research, investigate, and write about true events, ideas, people, and places — in books, essays, journalism, and online. Africa's complex histories, political realities, economic transformations, and cultural richness offer some of the world's richest material for non-fiction writing. African essayists are increasingly recognised globally as essential voices in the world's most important conversations.
What she actually does
You research deeply into a subject — through interviews, archives, fieldwork, and personal experience — develop a distinctive analytical or narrative approach, write long-form essays, reportage, or books, work with editors to refine your prose and argument, place your work with publications and publishers, and build a readership and reputation as an authoritative voice on your subject.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Penguin Random House Africa, Picador Africa, Hurst & Company, Jonathan Ball — commissioning African non-fiction |
| Literary Magazines | Chimurenga (SA), Farafina, The Stinging Fly, GRANTA, n+1 — outlets for African essayists |
| Digital Platforms | Substack, Medium, The Continent, Africa is a Country — digital-first non-fiction publishing |
| Think Tanks & NGOs | Policy think tanks, advocacy organisations — commissioning well-written analytical non-fiction |
Why it matters in Africa
From Ngugi wa Thiong'o's political essays to Teju Cole's travel writing to Sisonke Msimang's memoir, African non-fiction writers are producing work of global significance. New platforms — The Continent, Africa is a Country, Okay Africa, Chimurenga — are commissioning African non-fiction. International publishers are actively seeking African voices on politics, history, economics, and culture. The audience for African perspectives has never been larger.
Your pathway in
- Read the masters of the essay: James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Teju Cole, Sisonke Msimang — studying great essayists teaches you what is possible
- Write personal essays and critical pieces and submit them to literary publications: GRANTA, Chimurenga, The Stinging Fly
- Build a blog or newsletter — 'Write of Passage' and 'Substack' make regular writing and building a readership straightforward
- Apply for writing fellowships: Miles Morland Foundation, Africa in Words, Caine Prize non-fiction submissions
- Consider journalism as a pathway into long-form non-fiction — many essayists begin as journalists
Skills you will need
- Research and reporting
- Essay structure and argumentation
- Distinctive prose style
- Interviewing
- Fact-checking
- Query letters and pitching
A woman in this field
Sisonke Msimang
South Africa
Sisonke is one of South Africa's most celebrated essayists and memoirists — author of 'Always Another Country,' a memoir of growing up in exile and building a South African identity. Her writing on race, gender, democracy, and African identity has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, and major global publications. A former NGO director and TED Fellow, she is a powerful example of how personal voice, political clarity, and literary craft can combine to create essays that matter.
Take your first step
- Write a personal essay of 1,000 words about something you have experienced that nobody else could have written — your specific perspective is your most valuable asset
- Read 'We Should All Be Feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — it is one of the finest examples of the personal essay as political argument
- Research Chimurenga magazine at chimurengachronic.co.za — it represents one of the most important traditions of radical African essayistic writing
- Start a Substack newsletter — commit to publishing one essay a month and building an audience from the ground up
Careers close to this one
- Fiction Writer/Author
- Print/Digital Journalist
- Investigative Journalist
- Poet
- Broadcaster