Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The waves of creativity are set to hit the Lagos shoreline as the Admiral Superintendent of the Naval Dockyard, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shehu, prepares to flag off the 2025 Maritime Writes Project (MWP) Creative Writing Bootcamp a four-day literary voyage bringing over 60 budding storytellers face to face with Nigeria’s maritime world.
Set to run from August 13 to 16 at the Naval Dockyard, Lagos, the bootcamp will take participants on an immersive journey from storytelling and illustration to a real-life tour of a naval ship. The event will draw maritime leaders, creative mentors, and captains of industry in what promises to be the most experiential edition yet.
Project Coordinator Ezinne Azunna revealed that this year’s programme, themed “Blue Odyssey: Securing Nigeria’s EEZ, Ports and Blue Economy Stories of Sea Guardians, Trade Routes, and Coastal Adventures”, will train 25 children in the Junior Category (ages 7–13) and 40 in the Senior Category (ages 14–60).
“Participants will not only sharpen their storytelling skills, they will live the stories,” Azunna said. “From meeting captains of warships to interacting with merchant vessel officers and ship designers, they’ll gain a firsthand feel of maritime life that will inspire gripping works of fiction.”
Highlights of the 5th edition include:
Maritime Writes Junior: Storytelling through illustration (Aug 13–14)
Maritime Writes Senior: Advanced creative writing (Aug 13–15)
Maritime Writes Tours: Behind-the-scenes tour of the Naval Dockyard and a naval ship (Aug 16)
The project has teamed up with heavyweight partners including the Naval Dockyard, Western Naval Command, International Ocean Institute, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, UN Blue Schools Network, AWFISHNET, and FESAN.
For the first time, children from public schools and Makoko’s coastal enclave will join the line-up, promising a fresh wave of perspectives. The initiative builds on the success of MWP’s 2024 anthologies Three Dreams & a Beach, The Surfer in Me, and The Water Guard all written by past participants.
“With this blend of creativity and real-life maritime adventure, we’re not just training writers we’re charting new courses for Nigeria’s maritime storytelling,” Azunna said.
