Sprinng’s Statement on Plagiarism

Since 2016, our mission at Sprinng has been to foster a thriving network that empowers African writers, amplifies their voices, and celebrates their efforts to create beauty out of the madness of this world. As we grow, we remain committed to our values of integrity, transparency, and honesty. These are values that we hope are adopted by all writers affiliated with our organization. 

Sprinng’s stance on plagiarism is clear: It is unacceptable. For clarity, we define plagiarism as the presentation of someone else’s work, in part or whole, as one’s own. While the line between plagiarism and inspiration begins to blur with the consideration of certain forms (centos, erasures, golden shovels, shadow writing, “after” poems, etc.), it is the duty of the writer to credit their inspiration. 

Though we are all influenced by the works of other writers we admire, we owe it to ourselves, our community, and the sanctity of the art form to maintain intellectual integrity. As writers, the work that we all do is difficult enough, from the lonely, often painful process of birthing new works to the inevitable influx of rejection letters. On top of all this, one should not have to worry about the hard-won fruit of their creative labor being stolen. 

Throughout the planning and execution of our programs, we are motivated by the belief that creative expression is a sacred act that should be rewarded. Theft is no reward. Plagiarism is no reward. We stand against plagiarism and urge writers to continue to uphold the ethical integrity of their work, not just for their sake but for the collective good of our beloved writing community. 

Signed,
Sprinng