Willie Oeba's global fellowship to benefit 12 Nakuru creatives
Nakuru-based spoken word artist Willie Oeba.
Nakuru based spoken word artist Willie Oeba is beyond elated to be among 26 worldwide youth leaders who have joined the fourth cohort of the Ford Global Fellowship.
The Word King tells Mtaa Wangu, that he is overwhelmingly happy to have secured a spot in this competitive fellowship.
"It's been ten years of putting in the work. This opportunity serves as a beacon of hope to me and a reminder that if you consistently show up and invest in the quality of your work, it will eventually pay off," he says.
Asked how he landed the opportunity, Oeba says," I went through a series of written and oral interviews before getting here."
For him, the fellowship has presented an opportunity to impact more creatives through mentorship.
Through his own ISM academy, Oeba will be running a mentorship program that will take in 24 creatives through a vigorous mentorship.
"12 creatives will be picked from Nakuru. It's been hard to monetize art but we are looking forward to mentoring young stars from Nakuru and beyond to guide them on how to achieve financial independence as artists, " he says.
Oeba will be travelling to New York, South Africa and Indonesia during his two-year fellowship.
Other than the fellowship opportunity, Oeba also received a grant worth Sh 5 million.