WAKE UP THE GIANT
Nigerian Youths Got Brains
WAKE UP THE GIANT, AFRICA is a Pan-African educational reality show
designed to reposition academic excellence particularly in literature, language, and critical thinking as aspirational and rewarding as mainstream entertainment.
The initiative, led by SasToma Empowerment Foundation, combines competition, mentorship, cultural expression, and media visibility to discover, develop, and showcase Africa’s next generation of writers, thinkers, and leaders. It has been test run in Edo State and the entire South West states.
WAKE UP THE GIANT, AFRICA
1. GENESIS:
Across Africa, particularly Nigeria, the education sector is experiencing systemic decline in literary engagement:
- Shortage of qualified English and Literature teachers
- Declining reading culture among youth
- Poor communication and writing proficiency
- Collapse of literary clubs and extracurricular academic culture
- Over-prioritization of entertainment-based success models
- Eradication of our rich cultural heritage and indigenous languages
- Ignorance of our youths about their history
- Neglecting the power of spoken word and the pen to propagate the SDGs
This has created a widening gap between intellectual development and youth aspirations.
2. Strategic Objectives
The project is designed to:
- Revive Reading Culture: Reignite deep engagement with literature beyond rote learning.
- Strengthen Language Proficiency: Improve spoken and written communication skills in English and indigenous languages.
- Discover and Nurture Talent by Identifying young writers, performers, and thinkers early.
- Promote Indigenous Languages & Culture
- Reinforce identity through multilingual literary expression.
- Elevate Academic Competitions by Positioning intellectual excellence as prestigious and rewarding.
- . Develop Future Leaders: Integrate leadership training, ethics, and social awareness.
3. Unique Value Proposition.
Unlike traditional academic contests, this initiative:
- Uses a reality TV format to drive engagement
- Integrates entertainment + education (edutainment model)
- Offers high-value rewards comparable to entertainment shows
- Embeds SDG-driven themes into creative expression
- Promotes pan-African collaboration
4 . Programme Structure
Phase 1: Global Online Auditions and voting( January to March) for West Africa and Central Africa.
Open to students aged 11–19
Focus: Spoken Word Poetry
Language: English, French, Portuguese + Indigenous languages
Phase 2: Physical Auditions( April to July) for West Africa and Central Africa)
Regional selection across districts:
WEST AFRICA
- Nigeria: Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Abia,
- Benin(Cotonou
- Gambia(Banjul)
- Senegal(Dakar)
- Sierra Leone( Freetown)
- Liberia(Monrovia)
- Ghana(Accra)
- Cote d’Ivore(Yamoussoukro)
CENTRAL AFRICA:
- Cameroon( Yaounde/Doula)
- Gabon(Libreville)
- DR Congo(Kinshasha)
EAST AFRICA
- Kenya ( Nairobi)
- Ethiopia(Addis Ababa)
- Tanzania(Dar es Salaam)
- Uganda( Kampala)
- Rwanda( Kigali)
SOUTHERN AFRICA
- South Africa( Pretoria/ Johannesburg
- Zambia( Lusaka)
- Namibia(Windhoek)
- Botswana(Gaborone)
- Zimbabwe (Harere)
NORTHERN AFRICA
- Egypt( Cairo)
- Morocco(Rabat)
- Algeria(Algiers)
Top 50 contestants selected across the five regions.
TN: Intetested students are to attend the physical audition in a country closer to them.
Interested Africans living outside Africa can participate through Zoom
Phase 3 ( The final): Boot Camp (2 Weeks)
- TENTATIVE LOCATIONS FOR FINALS:
- WEST AFRICA :Ghana or Nigeria or Senegal
- CENTRALAFRICA: Cameroon
- NORTHERN AFRICA: Morocco or Egypt
- SOUTHERN AFRICA: Zambia or Zimbabwe or Namibia
- EASTERN AFRICA: kenya or Zambia or Zimbabwe
( Intetested students are to attend the physical audition in a country closer to them. Interested African living outside Africa can participate through Zoom on the stipulated dates)
OUR CAMP ACTIVITIES :Participants undergo intensive training and evaluation in:
- Drama
- Prose
- Poetry (composition & performance)
- Communication skills
- Leadership and personal development
- Skill acquisition
- Historical exposure
5. Core Programme Activities
Literary Development
- Reading assignments (plays & novels)
- Original writing (short stories, scripts)
- Daily poetry challenges
- The power of the pen
- Script writing: Drama, Prose and poetry
- Publishing and promoting your creative work on social media
B. Leadership & Personal Growth tagged “Hall of Fame” lecture series:
- Leadership development
- Gender empowerment
- Digital responsibility
- Drug abuse awareness e t.c
C. Cultural Integration
- Indigenous language translation performances
- Cultural attire showcases in “My Language, My Identity” night
- Cultural Summit
D. Experiential Learning
- Historical and cultural excursions
- “One Night with a King” (royal heritage engagement)
- Storytelling revival (“Tales by Moonlight”)
E. Flame Awards and Lectures
- Competition winners
- Leaders/ organizations/ youths who have made impact in the creative/ Education fields.
- Changing the narratives in the education sector/ Education is not a scam
6. Competition Themes
Aligned with global and societal priorities:
Education
Gender equality
Human trafficking
Peace and national unity
Domestic violence
Youth empowerment
Climate and clean energy
Poverty Eradication
Child's marriage
Drug Abuse
No to poverty and hunger
Genital mutilation e.t.c
(Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals)
CALL TO PARTNERSHIP
We seek strategic partners to:
- Fund programme execution
- Support prize structures
- Provide infrastructure (education & energy)
- Amplify visibility
INSTITUTIONAL ALIGNMENT AT A GLANCE
Framework / Institution
Primary WAKE UP THE GIANT Alignment
SDG 4
Quality education, literacy, skills, critical thinking and lifelong learning
SDG 5
Equal opportunities and participation for girls and boys
SDG 8
Transferable skills, creativity, entrepreneurship and future work
SDG 10
Inclusion and expanded opportunities
SDG 16
Responsible citizenship, dialogue, peace and leadership
SDG 17
Multi-stakeholder and international partnerships
UNESCO
Education, culture, creativity, language, heritage and intercultural understanding
UNICEF
Children, adolescents, learning, skills, equity, participation and safeguarding
African Union / Agenda 2063
Education, skills, youth empowerment, culture, Pan-African identity, peace and continental partnership
UN Youth2030
Meaningful youth engagement, capacity, SDG participation and youth agency
WAKE UP THE GIANT, AFRICA is not just a competition, it is a continental movement to restore the dignity of intellect, awaken creative potential, and build the next generation of African leaders through the power of literature.
Become the Next GIANT
Click the button below to apply
for our upcoming competitions,
complete the forms and click the
submit button if you are picked
you will be contact via email.
Watch Our Previous COMPETITIONS
Click the button below to watch
videos from our previous
competitions, watch documentaries
and performance clips from
previous contestants.
ENJOY OUR PHOTO GALLERY
Click the button below to go
through previous gallery from our
previous competitions, see
pictures from previous events and
from previous contestants.
TESTIMONIALS
Here is what our beneficiaries have to say
Our Partners
The supports that keeps on moving
As a membership organisation, we strongly believe in working through partnerships for long-term sustainability and continuous shared learning. We are strongly committed to promote partnerships as we consolidate our role of convening the organizations working in promotion of girls’ education in order to foster synergy and muster the authority to effectively engage with government.
OUR IMPACT
Numbers that tell a human story.
20+
100+
3
Pan Africa
BECOME A GIANT
Your voice too can be heard,
you can be the next BIG THING
You have what it takes to become the next big thing! — every voice matters, all voices count.