OkayAfrica is the trailblazing digital destination connecting African art, music, culture, style, sports, and politics to a global audience.

We have correspondents in the East, West, Southern and North Africa regions, so the stories we are looking for from freelance submissions need to be unique and captivating and offer something we wouldn’t already be covering. We are actively seeking pitches from journalists, writers, photographers and other contributors of all African backgrounds.

What we’re looking for:

Our stories are usually 800 words. If the subject matter warrants it and the piece is well-written, we can go slightly over this.

We’re looking for pitches that give a clear, concise summary of the subject or angle of the proposed piece, and your anticipated story structure. We’re looking for pitches that contain answers, not questions. (Or, if you don’t have answers yet, an explanation of why you don’t — and the reason shouldn’t be “I haven’t started the reporting.”)

Your pitch should also serve as an example of your writing style and tone. Please familiarize yourself with our archives to get a sense of the kind of stories we publish.

All submissions should include a very short explanation of who you are and why you’re qualified to cover this story, along with links to previously published pieces and/or your online portfolio.

We appreciate all pitches and aim to respond to each one as soon as possible. If we’re interested in your pitch, we’ll discuss rates, deadlines, scope, kill fees (if applicable), and other expectations with you upfront.

Interviews

We want your interviews with the world's best and brightest. We want them as long as they're being asked real questions. No puff pieces please.

Service Journalism

"Listicles" and "how-tos" get a bad rap but if done well they're a joy to read and super informative as well. Take us on a food tour of Mozambique or give us a guide to Maghrebi techno. Whatever. Be informative. Be authoritative. Write it in a fun and accessible way.

Opinion Pieces/Personal Essays

Be edgy and be honest or you can be totally evasive, it doesn't matter. Either way you've got to have a unique voice and a fresh perspective. This is not a space for opinions you heard from a cable news pundit or on a daytime talk show. Extra points if the opinion is topical. Make it urgent.

Short Features

A good short feature should be about something our readers need to know about RIGHT NOW. Must have multiple points of view—real reporting.

Longer Features

These are stories that need space for in-depth reporting and multiple perspectives. A good pitch will include a vision for how you intend to report this story. Who do you have access to? Who don't you have access to? We work together to make these happen.

Video/Photo/Socials

We're open to all kinds of pitches on this front. Let us know what you're about and we'll discuss on this end the best way to move forward.

What We Don't Want From a Pitch

A forwarded press release, or a copy-and-pasted press release.

A couple of sentences with no real angle. Art X Lagos is happening - what is the angle you intend to cover about it?

A story you've already written for someone else.

A story that's already appeared on our website or any other website.

Another thing: we often get asked "what we're looking for" or "what we're currently working on."

We totally get it, but we will almost never be able to give you a clear response. The answers to these questions change by the minute, and it's rare that we have a "hole" that we need to fill or a story idea that needs a writer. The best way to start working with us is showing you have unique story ideas that we wouldn't find anywhere else.

Please send your pitches to submissions@okayafrica.com.

Unfortunately, because of the high volume of inquiries we cannot respond to all emails but we do read them all.