Writing in Residence: Reflections from the Library of Africa & the African Diaspora (LOATAD)

LOATAD: A Sanctuary of Black Words

Since childhood, I have found joy in being surrounded by books. My younger self spent endless hours reading books, tucked away at home or in libraries after school, on weekends & during holidays, while my older self still delights in the weight of a book in hand & the scent of fresh pages. To now step into the role of writer-in-residence- not just anywhere, but at the Library of Africa & the African Diaspora (LOATAD)- is a dream come true.

LOATAD lives inside a large yellow mansion, one of my favourite colours, nestled in Accra’s Adenta suburb. Founded in 2017 by Sylvia Arthur, a fellow Black British Queen, it began as her personal book collection, then grew from a single room into the vibrant home it now inhabits. Its shelves hold thousands of books arranged into thoughtful categories: ‘Black British Writers’, ‘Ghanaian Writers’, ‘Caribbean Writers’, ‘Politics’ & many more, alongside generous donations grouped in their own collections.

A small dedicated team keeps this place alive. Seth Avusuglo oversees the daily workings & residencies with care that feels like family. LOATAD is mostly independently funded, its income drawn from donations, tours, gatherings & residencies like mine. It is more than a library: it is an embrace, a sanctuary for anyone who wishes to dwell deeply in African & diasporic literature. My time there renewed my sense of purpose & reminded me of the kind of spaces I will forever seek, hold dear & protect.

April-Louise proudly sitting in the Library of Africa & the African Diaspora (LOATAD) as a writer-in-residence. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

Finding LOATAD, Finding Space

I first stumbled across LOATAD while searching for Ghanaian hosts to support the final stretch of my fieldwork, much like ACIJ/JMB did for me in Jamaica. I noticed their call for the 2025 Black Atlantic Writers’ Residency but was too entangled in other work to apply. Later they appeared again in my search, & this time I chose their self-funded, self-directed residency, which fit my unfolding project perfectly.

Fortune favoured me twice: I also found a host in the University of Cape Coast (UCC), where I was welcomed as a visiting scholar. Splitting my time between Accra, Ghana’s current capital, & Cape Coast, the old “Gold Coast” capital, brought new depth & vivid context to my research.

Books & films have always been my earliest companions in understanding people, cultures & the beautiful diversity within Africa & its diaspora. They remind me who I am, where I come from & where/how I want to walk & be in this world. LOATAD’s careful curation of Black literature is a rare gift: a necessary, powerful intervention. That it stands in Ghana, a nation that ignited Africa’s independence movements, makes it even more profound.

My current project seeks to centre the hidden histories of enslaved African people in Jamaica & to celebrate their lives & legacies, so to read, think & write in a space filled with stories often absent from mainstream archives & libraries was empowering & priceless.

Dwelling, Dreaming, Researching

Before settling into my residency, I presented my research to the first 2025 Black Atlantic residency cohort- a full-circle moment, since I had first hoped to apply as a participant myself- a highlight I revisit below. After my visiting fellowship at UCC, I returned to Accra & began my own residency once the second Black Atlantic cohort had concluded.

As part of LOATAD’s residency programme, I had my own room with an ensuite, a weekly cleaner, reliable WIFI, kitchen access & of course, free rein in the library’s collections. My days unfolded gently: wake, prepare, breakfast, emails, then long hours of work shaped by a rhythm much like the one I had at UCC, with Seth’s kind support whenever needed.

I continued interviews, site visits & research both within LOATAD’s walls & across Accra. Each day layered my work with new insights & discoveries.

April-Louise en route to do some fieldwork during her LOATAD residency. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

Moments That Shaped My Residency

• Sharing my research with the first Black Atlantic residency cohort sparked conversations that sharpened my thinking & strengthened my later seminar at UCC’s Department of History & Diplomacy.

  
  

  

  April-Louise proudly sharing her research to the first cohort of the 2025 LOATAD Black Atlantic residency. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

  
  

• Visiting a local school with The Black Curriculum team gave me the chance to witness their transformative classroom work. Hearing how the school was born of one couple’s vision & seeing eager faces- from the smallest & most curious to the oldest & most thoughtful- was pure light.

  
  

  

  Lavinya Stennett- founder and CEO of The Black Curriculum transforming the classroom with her team .& April-Louise participating Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

  
  

• Discovering I Dream a World felt like a message from my ancestors, a reminder that I walk this path with their wisdom surrounding me.

  
  

  

  The book 'I Dream A World'. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

  
  

• Attending the Protect Black Women event was stirring. Watching the premieres of the documentary 46, which showed how Diane Abbott MP was repeatedly ignored in parliament even when she was the subject of debate, alongside Leanne Pero’s film showing her journey through Ghana with Black Women Rising in the context of breast cancer, underscored how urgently our stories must be told by us, for us. The connections I formed were both meaningful & uplifting.

April-Louise with the attendees & organisers of Protect Black Women. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

• Gifting my book Babygirl, You’ve Got This! to LOATAD was both wonderful & fitting. The book captures Black girl/women diasporic educational experiences here in England, & now rests among legendary works of the African diaspora. My hope is that visitors & future residents will find it, & that it might inspire someone as I Dream a World inspired me.

  
  

  

  April-Louise gifting her book to the library. Photo credit: Seth Avusuglo.

  
  

Reflections for the Future

LOATAD reaffirmed my belief in spaces that centre people like me: our stories, our art, our words. These are the spaces I will always seek, stand beside & nurture for others.

It also sharpened my commitment to reading & researching with care, always asking who is writing, what is written, whose voices are absent, & what truths those voices might hold. My dedication to positionality, care, intention & the fight against historical erasure runs deeply through all my work already, & being in such an unapologetic space strengthened that resolve.

Hopes for Return & Collaboration

I hope to return to LOATAD for more writing, researching & dreaming. One day I would love to join a programmed residency & continue building this precious network of Black knowledge creators, curators & keepers.

Thanks & Praise

My deepest thanks to Sylvia, Seth, the LOATAD team, the building itself, & all who crossed my path during my residency. Big up Seth for capturing many precious moments with your camera & for giving my book Babygirl, You’ve Got This! a home among your shelves. It could not rest in a more fitting place. May it find new readers across Africa & the diaspora, sitting alongside the other stories that nourish & guide us.

To my family, ancestors, the Leverhulme Trust & Cardiff University: your constant support makes this journey possible. May every library I find next remind me of that younger self tucked away between shelves, & may each one feel as warm & revolutionary as LOATAD. Amen & Asé ✨.

Help LOATAD to continue nurturing Black spaces, stories & voices by donating here.