About us.
Great storytelling begins with opportunity.
The AprilCentaur Network was born from a simple but powerful realization: Brilliant African writers and filmmakers, especially those just starting out, deserve to thrive, not just survive.
Our founder, Abuah Martins Chukwubuikem (a storyteller and filmmaker himself, writing under the pen name AprilCentaur), noticed a gap. While platforms existed for creatives to showcase their work, many struggled to find pay, faced overwhelming competition, and received fragmented support. Talent alone wasn’t enough to sustain a career.
So, he asked: What if creatives had a space that didn’t just display their craft but truly valued it?
That’s why the AprilCentaur Network exists:
A collective where writers and filmmakers unite.
A solution to inconsistent income, offering fairer pathways.
A community built on the belief that African stories deserve investment.
We’re redefining what it means to be a creative professional because when storytellers prosper, so do the stories that shape our world.
Our Mission.
Great art thrives where talent meets opportunity.
At the AprilCentaur Network, we believe emerging African creatives shouldn’t have to choose between passion and survival. Too many brilliant writers and filmmakers work tirelessly behind the scenes.
Our solution is simple but radical: incentivize excellence. Through curated competitions, publishing contracts, and paid opportunities, we’re creating a sustainable ecosystem where creativity is not just celebrated but also rewarded.
So far, we’ve:
Awarded $5,000+ in prizes annually, with pathways to royalties and long-term contracts.
Published two writers weekly, paying fairly for their work.
Opened doors for filmmakers and actors to earn a living through their craft.
This is just the beginning.
Our Vision.
A continent where storytellers shape the future.
We imagine an Africa where creatives focus on what they create, not how they’ll afford to create it. A future where:
The AprilCentaur Collective rivals global giants like Disney, with wings in publishing, film, animation, and theatre.
Our Theatre houses across the continent produce quarterly shows that challenge, entertain, and employ.
A world-class publishing arm and Nollywood-level film studio that elevates African narratives.
We’re building more than a platform. We’re building a legacy.
Our Values.
Our sole vocation is forged from the belief that stories can build nations, so we’re seeking a storm of creatives highly dedicated to the ideals of rebuilding and manifesting such countenance through subtle means in their works.
We want to affect the citizens of Africa down to their thoughts of themselves, and since the entertainment industry is one that we all tune into, we aim to amass a great bank of quality creatives who will help spread our ideas in numerous fields.
Stories don’t just reflect society: they influence it.
We will nation-build through narrative.
We curate works that subtly reshape self-perception, pride, and possibility across Africa.Quality is non-negotiable.
From submissions to productions, we invest only in excellence, because our audience deserves it.Empowerment through economics.
Fair pay isn’t a perk; it’s the foundation of a thriving creative economy.The long game.
We’re patient architects. Every contest, contract, and collaboration lays bricks for a reimagined industry.
Meet the Team
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Martins Abuah
FOUNDER
Is he the AprilCentaur or Abuah Martins? We do not know. But he designs and writes the copy for this website. (This we know for sure.)
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Elizabeth Ogundeji
DESIGN SPECIALIST
A talented design overseer sought after and employed by RaizeHQ, who excels as a product manager for PaceSetter. Elizabeth is a hardworking enthusiast and dedicated designer of the Network’s publication on social media.
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Sodïq Oyèkànmí
EDITOR
A nomad with a degree in Theatre Arts, A poet and dramaturge. A 2022/23 Poetry Translation Centre UNDERTOW Fellow, a 2024 Best of The Net winner, and a 2x Pushcart Prize Nominee. A recipient of the Unserious Collective Fellowship (2023), and winner of the SEVHAGE/Hyginus Ekwuazi Poetry Prize (2023).
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Yusuf Eslah Ayenajai
CONTENT WRITER
An accomplished Law graduate, hearkening to the voice of literary expression in his mind. Ayenajai is a budding writer forever analysing the complex realities of life and shaping them into simple understanding. (Another pioneer from the first contest.)
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Vanessa George
CONTENT WRITER
A pioneer from the Network’s first edition, also known as ‘Author_of_sparkles,’ Vanessa finds peace in continually developing new techniques of relatable poetic expression and prose writing. She studies law at the University of Ibadan.
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Oreoluwa Asala
CONTENT WRITER
Chosen as one of the big six from the first edition of the AprilCentaur Prize, Oreoluwa is a student aspiring for an LLB degree in Unilorin. He continually excels as a solution finder and shuffles between reading, serving God, and writing.
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No, we do not accept previously published works. We’re interested in new and admirable writing, seeking for a new home to settle in.
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Our contests are open to all people of African descent, whether living in Africa or across the seas and continents of the world.
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Subscribe to our newsletter or follow our social media pages. Information is uploaded regularly on our social media pages.
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We hold an annual contest worth $2000 between May and July. Our general submissions are also open all year, but we limit publication to 2 pieces per week.
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We want to make sure payments are seamless without issue. Our founder is the only sponsor of our efforts presently, and we do not want the weight of finance to break his drive.
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We periodically offer opportunities for actors and filmmakers whenever the situation arises. However, our general submissions are always open for monologues, and we pay.
Our Story.
At a reflective moment in our 26-year-old founder’s life, he discovered that to push his dream forward, he must first learn to push the dreams of others, as well as give them a stepping stone into opportunities readily available to him in his present reality.
This discovery led to a finding of history — of a particular time in Irish history — where the mindset of a nation became transformed and filled with purpose, by a collection of well-selected stories that adorned their ancestral imagery and gave them a heightened sense of self.
Now, our founder believes the mindset in Africa can be upturned by bringing forth leaders created through the intervention of the AprilCentaur Network. Leaders, able to send in powerful stories in their multitudes, and over time, develop the mindset towards acquiring a taste for worthy attractions, and a worthy sense of purpose.
