In the Event of Rejection, See Below

From: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Subject: Update on Your Submission

Dear Applicant,

I hope this message finds you well.

Thank you for your patience as we took the time to review the submissions sent in response to our call. We were overwhelmed by their volume and richness. We received 90 submissions from 12 countries! We were very impressed with their quality! Each submission generated spirited discussions among our team members, so the process of arriving at a shortlist was as invigorating as it was challenging.

While we appreciated the boldness of your approach, we felt your proposal leaned too heavily towards the imaginative. It lacked grounding in the lived experiences that are central to the projects we prefer to support. We found it difficult to fully connect with the ideas it aims to explore. We did not feel that it would translate well to real-world scenarios. For these reasons, your submission was not selected for the shortlist.

I hope our decision does not discourage you. We urge you to see this as an opening rather than a shut door.

We remain committed to creating more opportunities for collaboration, publication, and dialogue. As the endowment grows, so too will our ability to support more creatives.

Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for future calls, events, and programs. We encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter so that you don’t miss important updates.

Thank you again for sharing your proposal with us.

Warm regards,

Theodora Linch,

Grants Administrator,

The Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment.

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Update on Your Submission

1.

My name is NOT “Applicant”.

My name is Naima.

N-A-I-M-A.

I introduced myself as Naima in my application and signed my motivation letter accordingly. I will sign off with Naima in case you need a reminder.

Names are the most basic form of recognition and respect. Use them.

2.

Incidentally, your message found me full of hope that I had secured a scholarship.

The proposal I sent you guys is the best I’ve written in a while. I worked on it for months. How is it possible that it didn’t make the shortlist? Are you sure you read it properly? What criteria did you guys use to select the shortlist?

3.

In what world does “90 submissions from 12 countries” = “overwhelmed”?

SMH!

Africa has over 50 countries and 1 billion people!

#AfricaIsNotACountry!

Sincerely,

N-A-I-M-A Kibedi.

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From: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Dear Naima,

Thank you for your email.

I deeply regret that my earlier note did not address you by name. I apologise for the oversight.

I hear and completely understand your disappointment. It’s evident that you poured a great deal of time and energy into your proposal. I want to assure you that your proposal was received, read, and considered in earnest. We do not take lightly the trust that applicants place in us when they share their work.

I empathise with your desire to know more about why your proposal wasn’t selected. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to share the criteria or deliberations that guided the review process. I can confirm, though, that the process was initiated and finalised by a team of experienced readers and judges; each proposal underwent several rounds of review before the shortlist was finalised.

You were right to point out the vastness of the African continent and the variety that exists on it, but my comment about being “overwhelmed” by submissions was meant to reflect our current capacity; it wasn’t a claim about scale or reach. We are a small team of volunteers, each balancing this work alongside a range of other full-time professional and personal commitments. We prepared carefully—we always do—but the responses we received exceeded our expectations.

I do want to thank you, once again, for sharing your work with us. We’re honoured that you trusted us with it, and we hope to stay connected with you as we grow and create more opportunities for writers on the continent.

Warmly,

Theodora Linch,

Grants Administrator,

The Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment.

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Theodora,

Be serious!

You’ve been running this thing for how long? Over ten years?

If you are as overwhelmed as you claim to be, why don’t you get help?

I know you can afford to hire more people to help you. I know you get a lot of funding. The writing community on this continent is small. People talk. I listen.

Also, what’s up with using the same judges, the same group of fossils, over and over and over again?

You’ve had the same judges since you launched this endowment, and honestly none of them have written anything fresh or interesting in the last twenty years. Are those really the people you should be trusting to decide which writers of my generation get opportunities?!!!

Are you seriously telling me that in the whole of Africa, there’s no one else you can ask to be a judge? You mean you can’t find more imaginative people to participate in your “process”?

Something is not right with you people. You keep talking about “radical thinking” and “fearless creativity,” but everything about how you work smells fishy. I’ve even started doubting whether this endowment is really about “discovering new voices”.

If you won’t share the criteria, don’t expect me to believe that the “process” you used was fair.

I already told you I worked on that proposal for months.

What I didn’t tell you is that I reached out to a few former grantees, people who successfully navigated your “process”, and asked them to panel-beat my proposal.

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From: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Dear Naima,

Thank you for taking the time to write so candidly.

I want to begin by acknowledging the frustration you’ve expressed and the passion behind your words. While the tone of your email made it difficult to read, I understand that it came from a place of deep investment in your writing and in the continent’s future.

Now, I must clarify a few things:

Indeed, this endowment has existed for over a decade. Yes, we are fortunate to have had funding all this time. But funding, as I’m sure you know, does not always equal unlimited human resources. We remain a small team not out of negligence or stubbornness, but because we choose to prioritize direct support to creatives rather than administrative expansion. This has its drawbacks—we are the first to admit that—but it is a choice informed by progressive values.

While I appreciate your call for freshness, particularly regarding our current judging panel, I urge you to consider how accomplished those individuals are. Every judge brings decades of experience in evaluating literary work, including serving on panels of major regional and international prizes. They are also incredibly committed to mentoring the next generation of African writers.

As for your proposal, at no point did I suggest it was inferior. As I mentioned in my earlier note, the selection process was agonizing precisely because of the number of exceptional proposals we received. I understand how unhelpful that will seem to someone like you, who was not selected, but I cannot offer more feedback. At this stage, we are not able to provide individualized evaluations. This is not about a lack of transparency – it is a matter of capacity, as I mentioned earlier.

Naima, I hope you will continue writing, and that this interaction, however tense, will not close the door to future engagement.

Institutions like ours are not infallible. We are growing, learning, constantly trying to do better. There is much strength and resolve in your voice, and there will be places where this finds resonance.

Wishing you the very best in your future endeavours.

Warm regards,

Theodora Linch,

Grants Administrator,

The Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment.

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Theodora, Theodora, Theodora,

How many times have I called your name today?!

And which “progressive” values are you talking about, by the way? Do you mean the ones that your judges use to gatekeep the industry?

Can you stop pretending that your “small team” status is some noble sacrifice for the greater good? Please and thank you!

Ten years is more than enough time for you to have developed a rotation system that gives other writers on the continent an opportunity to become judges.

In ten years, you could have partnered with grassroots organizations that are doing the hard work you pretend to do, albeit with a fraction of your budget. But instead you’re basking in bullshittery while pretending that you’re oh so concerned about writing.

You think I’m stupid? When you see ears on me you call me a G.O.A.T?! You think I don’t know what’s really going on?!!!

That judging panel of yours has been orbiting irrelevant festivals and conferences for years, recycling tired narratives about African literature, and writing reviews of each other’s books that grow more nauseating each year. There’s a word for this, Theodora, and I assure you it isn’t “incredibly committed to mentoring the next generation of African writers”!

I’m not interested in your patronizing pats on the head or encouragement to “keep writing”. I don’t need consolation. I want accountability. I want a clear, honest explanation as to why I wasn’t awarded a scholarship when I A) met all the criteria and B) submitted a proposal that was by every measure better than 95% of the submissions you received.

[Marked: CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT CIRCULATE – Internal Use Only]

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From: Theodora Linch

To: AMQ Endowment Board

Subject: Forward strategy

Dear All,

I want to begin by thanking everyone for enduring yet another marathon selection cycle. The number of submissions may have been lower than projections, but the labour of combing through them, not to mention the mounting external pressure to appear more diverse, made this an especially tricky year.

I’d like to flag one applicant. Her name is Naima Kibedi. (I’ll forward her emails shortly.) Her proposal was selected as one of the top 12 during initial readings and praised by at least three independent assessors for its inventiveness. However, given her prior behaviour on social media, the consensus was that she would be difficult to manage. We cannot afford to platform voices we are not equipped to rein in, particularly in this climate.

I anticipate she will push back. We should be prepared. I’ve looped in Prof. Mamawi to handle correspondence.

Re: the judging panel, yes, some have expressed concerns about their age, as if aging were somehow a liability! With age comes discretion, a quality that is increasingly rare in high-stakes, public-facing roles. They can be trusted to handle internal disagreements without creating a spectacle.

We must tread carefully. A sudden shakeup could alienate our long-time patrons. I propose we co-opt a few rising names into advisory roles. Optics matter, after all.

Lastly, Re: language, let’s consider adjusting future calls to better manage expectations.

More soon.

Theo.

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From: [REDACTED]@amqarts.org

To: tip@afroartsreview.org

Subject: FWD: Internal Memo – AMQ Endowment Board

Hi,

You’re going to want to read this.

I debated sitting on it. But after seeing how they gaslit Naima and then doubled down, I can’t stay quiet.

You were right all along. AMQ’s “nurturing bold African narratives” is mostly smoke and mirrors.

– A Friend on the Inside

Attachment: T.L.-memo-final.pdf

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From: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Dear Ms. Kibedi,

Permit me, as a longstanding member of the Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment’s advisory board, to respond to you in my personal capacity.

I have read your emails to Mrs. Linch. All of them.

I respect the fire in your words. Now, more than ever, our continent needs voices that ask hard questions, voices that don’t relent or speak in servile tones, voices that disrupt. But I worry, Naima, that you’re confusing boldness with entitlement.

I understand that you are disappointed and angry. But rather than consider that perhaps, just perhaps, your proposal didn’t quite land in the way you envisioned, and that you’re not as good a writer as you imagine yourself to be, you have chosen to attack the process and those behind it.

You claim that our judges are stale, that we haven’t written anything “interesting” in twenty years. What a curious word, interesting. Perhaps what you mean is that our work does not appeal to your taste?

You’ve suggested that we are clinging to power, you’ve accused us of gatekeeping, but nothing could be further from the truth. What you may not see is that many of us are exhausted; we’ve long been ready to step aside and make room for others. We’ve stayed on only because we’ve been urged, repeatedly, to stay. We’ve carried on because we care deeply about supporting and mentoring writers, never mind that our goodwill is often rewarded with dismissal and/or criticism from those who don’t have the enormous responsibility of building and sustaining something much larger than themselves.

I challenge you to ask yourself this question:

Is every process that fails to bend to your will automatically corrupt?

Many strong proposals were submitted. Most were not selected. This does not mean they were of low or inferior quality. It means only that we had to choose.

You demand transparency about criteria yet reject the notion that our process can be fair. In your eyes, our judgment is already invalid. What then would further explanation or clarification achieve?

Naima, I wish you success. I hope that, in time, you will learn that listening well is as important as speaking with conviction.

Sincerely,

Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu, Ph.D., S.M.D., D.Uq.

Professor Emeritus of Post-Millennial Hyper-Continental African Meta-Narratology

Theorist-in-Residence of Neo-Indigenous Pan-Africana Multiversal Story-World Architectures

Visiting Authority on Pre- and Post-Verbal Oraliture, Ancestral Audio-Epistemologies, and Intergenerational Memory Transmission,

Advisory Board, AMQ Creative Arts Endowment.

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Well, well, well.

If it isn’t good old Gino, yelling across the canyon in his outdated style, hoping his PhD will scare me!

Heh!

I can call you Gino, right? That’s the name you go by when you’re DMing undergrads and sending them eggplant emojis, right?! I hear those eggplant emojis of yours have become something of a signature move...

But let’s not get side-tracked.

This is about much more than my proposal, dear ol’ Gino.

People are paying attention now. And soon, they’ll know what I’ve known for a long time.

Give me the scholarship that was rightfully mine, or I WILL expose you.

I’m not asking for a favour, okay? I’m DEMANDING what was mine from the beginning.

This isn’t difficult to fix, sir. All Theodora has to do is recall the list she posted on the AMQ website and publish the version that has my name. I’m sure someone with her flair for spinning stories can find a convincing cover story. Technical glitch, clerical error, internal miscommunication...

Take your pick.

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From: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Little girl,

You’re in no position to make threats.

Indeed, this is about much more than your proposal. It’s about you being so delusional that you think you can challenge me without consequence.

You don’t know the first thing about the power I hold, or the lengths I would go to. I could break your writing career, if I can even call it that, with one phone call.

You will find that I don’t take kindly to being tested.

As for the list we published, it’s not about what you “deserve”. It’s about who was selected. The system is bigger than you. If you think for a second that your tantrum will lead to your inclusion, you’re sorely mistaken.

Mrs. Linch isn’t a figurehead you take pot-shots at. She has worked tirelessly for years to build and maintain the integrity of the AMQ endowment. For you to question her commitment, expertise, or ethics, especially when you have no idea about the constant pressures of her work, is suicidal. That she still takes time off to engage with your immature, impulsive, and disrespectful emails speaks volumes about her saint-like generosity and tolerance.

You want answers? Here is one:

You didn’t make the cut. Your demands for special treatment won’t change this.

If you want to make it in this industry, I suggest you grow a thicker skin.

If you choose to continue down this destructive path, you’ll be looking at a life full of closed doors.

Fortunately for you, I am an honourable man. I’m willing to give you an out. If you apologise to Mrs. Linch and me, you might be able to salvage your dignity from this wreckage. Should you choose to take this step, I will consider this matter resolved.

[Marked: CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT CIRCULATE – Internal Use Only]

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From: Theodora Linch

To: AMQ Endowment core team

Subject: Optics matter

Dear All,

I am aware that many of you have been CC’d on the hostile correspondence from Ms. Naima Kibedi. The purpose of this memo isn’t to rehash her comments but to clarify our position ahead of the next panel review cycle.

We are not in the business of pleasing applicants. The moment we hand over authority to every loud voice with a bruised ego, we lose the mandate we’ve been given.

Naima is not wrong when she says there are dozens of initiatives on the continent doing “radical” things. That’s precisely why we must keep our distance. Engaging with the “grassroots” would erode the prestige we’ve cultivated.

A few of you have asked if we should respond publicly. We will do no such thing. Let her shout from the mountaintops, if she wants. In a month, it will be someone else. In three months, no one will remember her name.

Warmly,

T. L.

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>, “submissions@amqendowment.org” <submissions@amqendowment.org>, “panelcoord@amqendowment.org” <panelcoord@amqendowment.org>, “updates@amqendowment.org” <updates@amqendowment.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

I’ll pretend I didn’t see you call me little girl, you pompous ass.

One phone call can break my career? Please. Don’t flatter yourself. You think I got to where I am because of you?!! Is it your approval, your connections, or whatever version of “power” you imagine yourself to have that made me who I am?!! Have I been eating your influence and validation all this time?!!!

You’re about to learn that whatever power you think you have right now is no match for what’s about to hit you guys. I don’t answer to you and I don’t fear you. And since we are now speaking plainly, please find attached photographic evidence of the following:

First, that you are far more intimately acquainted with Theodora’s genitals than you are with the “saint-like generosity” with which she replies to my emails.

Second, that Theodora has been siphoning funds from the endowment into an account registered in your name.

Third, that you replaced my name with Millie Baraka, your underwhelming protégé.

Fourth, that for years you have been passing off the work of your most talented students as your own.

Fifth, that your so-called “mentorship trips” to the “motherland” have been little more than predatory excursions. Behind the “cross-cultural exchange” and “nurturing emerging voices” buzzwords, you have been exploiting young, female writers. You target vulnerable young women, enticing them with small monthly dollar deposits. In return, you expect access to their time, their talent, and their bodies when you visit their countries to “conduct writing workshops”. You’ve relied on their silence, their shame, and your carefully constructed image to keep them silent.

Oh, and when your novels were resubmitted without your name, when they were stripped of your corporate bullshit titles, nine out of ten reviewers deemed them unworthy of publication. That’s what your writing is without the scaffolding erected by your “connections”, Gino – limp, forgettable prose.

Should I keep going?

If there’s one thing I know about you, Gino, it’s that you care deeply, nay obsessively, about your public image.

To my credit, I am, at my core, an honourable woman – one who still believes in giving people a chance to save face.

You have 48 hours to A) reconsider the tone of your last email, and B) do the only reasonable thing left: give me the scholarship that was mine from the beginning.

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From: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Cc: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>,   <submissions@amqendowment.org>, <panelcoord@amqendowment.org>, <updates@amqendowment.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Dear Ms. Kibedi,

I hope this message finds you well.

Following an internal review, I can now confirm that your name did, in fact, appear on an earlier version of the shortlist submitted by our reviewers.

Due to what we are calling, truthfully, a clerical error during the collation and reconciliation of scores across countries, your results were mistakenly attributed to another applicant. We sincerely apologize for this oversight. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding as we handle this matter with the seriousness it deserves.

While the initial error in score collation was regrettable, we want to emphasize that it in no way diminishes the strength of your application or the merit of your selection. Your achievements and potential were clear to the evaluation team.

Your name will be included in the revised list of finalists, which will be published on our website later this week. We understand the importance of transparency in the review process and appreciate your patience as we take the necessary steps to rectify the unfortunate oversight.

You will receive a full scholarship in accordance with the provisions of the Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment. A member from our core team will be in touch within 48 hours to guide you through the next steps, including completing the necessary paperwork to support your transition into this year’s programme.

Sincerely,

Theodora Linch,

Grants Administrator,

The Albrecht M. Quayle Creative Arts Endowment.

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From: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

To: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>, <submissions@amqendowment.org>, <panelcoord@amqendowment.org>, <updates@amqendowment.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Naima,

I’ll keep this brief.

It seems there was indeed a break somewhere in the administrative chain. I’ve reviewed the documents myself and can confirm that your name was on an early version of the shortlist.

I believe in the value of repairing what can be repaired, and in acknowledging merit when it is evident.

Going forward, I trust all parties involved will exercise the professionalism that should have guided this exchange from the beginning.

—

G. M. Mamawi-Enigu

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From: Naima Kibedi <nkibedi.writes@gmail.com>

To: Gian Martel Mamawi-Enigu <g.mmamawienigu@amqendowment.org>

Cc: Theodora Linch <t.linch@amqarts.org>, <submissions@amqendowment.org>, <panelcoord@amqendowment.org>, <updates@amqendowment.org>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Update on Your Submission

Dear All,

I’m beyond thrilled to learn that I’ve been offered an AMQ scholarship! This recognition means a great deal to me. It validates all the hard work I’ve done during the last few years!

I look forward to what will undoubtedly be an exciting journey!

Thanks again!

Warmly,

Naima Kibedi.