20/04/2026
We are elated to congratulate Mr Gerry Sikazwe for making it to the Ford Foundation Fellowship.
๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ "๐คโ๐๐โ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ก๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ .โ
Gerald Sikazwe is a Zambian social movement builder on a mission to develop civic consciousness among youth in Zambia and across Southern Africa. Using poetry, performance, and digital storytelling, he amplifies the voices of underrepresented communities, challenging the systemic inequalities that exclude them from civil society and governance. In 2017, he cofounded Word Smash Poetry Movement to provide a platform for Southern African youth to share their perspectives through spoken word. He also works in strategic communications for civil society organizations, advocating for issues ranging from climate justice and public spending to digital rights and freedom of expression.
As a writer and curator, Gerald has organized more than 80 advocacy-centered poetry shows, reaching over 200,000 people and mobilizing more than 1,000 Zambian youth to use spoken word as a tool for civic engagement and nationwide change. Through his work at the Centre for Young Leaders in AfricaโZambia, he designs programs that equip youths, women, and people with disabilities with the skills to enter leadership positions. He also contributes to reform and advocacy for more youth-inclusive legislation and public policy. Gerald coedited Mwala, a 2021 protest poetry anthology featuring work by 31 young Southern African women. His writing has appeared in Sister Wivesโa 2021 short story anthology advocating against child marriage, child abuse, and gender-based violenceโand in Canvas of Truth, the 2023 Ngoma Award-winning poetry anthology exploring male and female dynamics in society. Gerald was awarded the Byron Fellowship for Social Impact Leaders in 2025, the Young African Leaders Initiative Southern African Cohort Civil Leadership Track in 2024, and the USAID Youth Lead Zambia Activity in 2019.
Gerald believes that the right to freedom of expression is key to fighting inequality. Art is a powerful catalyst for change, through which Gerald encourages every person to discover their voice and claim a stake in their countryโs governance. By bridging the gap between underrepresented communities and decision-making spaces, he seeks to ensure that civic education and representation drive meaningful change.
Congratulations Yama. We are well represented.
https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-announces-2026-cohort-of-ford-global-fellowship/
