AYA residency is cultivating a sanctuary for arts, nature and resistance in a village near Cape Coast, Ghana. The purpose is to build a pan-African hub that centers ecologies, gender justice and african futurism. Rooted in precolonial knowledge systems, AYA residency envisions a physcial space where African and afro-diasporic artists and activists can reconnect with land and create futures beyond capitalist extraction and urgency. We are transforming from constantly reacting to emergencies to start building a physical space for our lived utopias.

The idea of AYA residency started in 2021 and was followed by two self-organized temporary beach residencies and forest garden planting actions in 2022 and 2023.

AYA residency aims to have further gatherings, workshops, have annual artist residencies and local cultural events. The space is seeding long-term land based independent infrastructures and needs a bigger and more developed space. For this fundraising is necessary and all recommendations regarding funding and experiences of how to run a residency space are welcome.