We’re Open for Pitches: Calling All Writers, Artists, Designers, Technologists, and Cultural Workers

We're actively seeking external contributors to publish on ÀROKÒ.WORLD. We're building a space where Black critical thought and cultural practice can breathe, where storytelling refuses the noise and commodification that dominate other platforms. We'd love to amplify your work.

Who We're Looking For

We welcome contributors across all disciplines: writers and poets, artists and designers, researchers and organizers, cultural workers, activists, and archivists

The only requirement: your work must reflect and advance our core values.

Our Core Commitments

Every piece published on ÀROKÒ.WORLD embodies one or more of the following:

• Cultural intelligence grounded in African and Afrodiasporic thought and practice
• Design as liberation: interrogating how systems and aesthetics shape freedom
• Working-class solidarity and material dignity
• Expanding the archive: surfacing African and Afrodiasporic voices, histories, and methods
• Design to Divest principles from our ÀROKÒ MANIFESTO

What We Publish

Familiarize yourself with our published work before submitting. Visit www.aroko.world to read essays, interviews, archive features, and more. We accept diverse forms beyond traditional essays. Your contribution can take shape as:

Written Forms:

• Essays (500+ words minimum; longer pieces encouraged): cultural analysis, speculative design, political critique
• Creative Non-Fiction: personal narrative situated within broader cultural, political, or design frameworks (lived experience + systems analysis)
• Poetry
• Fiction: microfiction, flash fiction, short stories, novellettes
• Interviews: conversations with artists, organizers, designers, cultural workers, writers

Visual & Process:

• Photo Stories: process documentation, material study, event coverage
• Tutorials: process breakdowns (branding systems, archiving, prototyping, editorial workflows)
• Case Studies: project breakdowns exploring strategy and insights

Research & Critical Work:

• Research Deep Dives: design trends, AI ethics, material histories, cultural analysis
• Archive Features: resurfacing forgotten designers, movements, tools, methods, histories, crafts
• Speculative Futures: essays on emerging tech, media, architecture, design, history, philosophy
• Reviews: films, books, series

How to Submit Your Pitch

Send your materials to: contact@aroko.coop

Subject line: ÀROKÒ Contributor Pitch: [Your Name]

Please include:

• A pitch (150–250 words) outlining your idea, your angle, its cultural/political stakes, and how it aligns with Àrokò's core commitments
• Writing samples or references (1–3 pieces, essays, or excerpts; links to published work if available)
• A 50-word biography
• Links to your website or portfolio (if available)
• Visual materials (if applicable): maps, photography, artwork that strengthen your proposal

We review pitches on a rolling basis and respond within 4-6 weeks. If we're interested in your work, we'll reach out to discuss publication and timeline.

At this stage, ÀROKÒ.WORLD is unable to offer financial compensation for contributions. However, we plan to launch a paid subscription later this year to help make the platform sustainable, with the goal of creating paid opportunities for contributors in the future.

If you would like to be considered for paid contributor opportunities as they become available, we'd still love to hear from you and keep you on our radar.