A $2 million Mellon Foundation grant will help create the world's most comprehensive archive of African verse, addressing decades of fragmentation and colonial bias in literary scholarship.

Imagine vast troves of African poetry scattered across continents—cultural treasures obscured like dust-covered pearls, difficult to locate and nearly impossible to study systematically. This fragmentation of knowledge has not only hindered academic progress but also muted Africa's voice in global discourse. Now, Brown University aims to change this reality through an unprecedented digital portal dedicated to African poetry.

More Than a Database

The initiative transcends conventional archival projects. Designed as a dynamic knowledge engine, the portal will integrate poetry collections, biographical materials, scholarly works, and even news coverage—offering a comprehensive solution to the long-standing marginalization and dispersal of African poetic heritage. Researchers will gain unprecedented access to materials with just a few clicks, dramatically accelerating academic work.

Preserving Oral Traditions Through Innovation

The project directly addresses critical challenges facing Africa's oral traditions, including generational gaps, linguistic shifts, and cultural assimilation. To revitalize these endangered art forms, Brown plans to employ cutting-edge technologies—from gamification and film to animation and VR/AR experiences—transforming poetry from static text into immersive, interactive encounters.

A Decolonial Intervention

Beyond cultural preservation, the initiative represents a bold decolonial move. For centuries, Western perspectives have dominated narratives about Africa. This digital platform seeks to reclaim African storytelling, challenging Eurocentric knowledge hierarchies while decentralizing and globalizing African scholarship. By aggregating poetic works from across the diaspora, it will amplify African voices on the world stage.

Poetry as Global Connector

Poetry serves as a vital bridge between cultures, fostering global empathy through shared human experience. Its power to transcend borders and speak to universal emotions makes it uniquely positioned to advance human rights understanding and sustainable development. Brown's project sits at the intersection of culture, education, and international cooperation—a model for how digital humanities can break down barriers and build a more equitable, compassionate world.