Writivism short story shortlist announced
Friday July 27 2018
Taban Lo Liyong will be one of the speakers at the Writivism festival in August. FILE PHOTO | NATION
The shortlist for the 2018 Writivism Short Story and Koffi Addo Prize for Creative Nonfiction annual literary prizes was announced on July 20 by the Kampala based Centre for African Cultural Excellence under its Writivism Literary Initiative.
The three short stories that made it to the 6th Writivism Short Story Prize shortlist are: Hopes and Dreams, by Mbogo Ireri (Kenya), The Photograph, by Mali Kambandu (Zambia), and A River Ends in an Ocean, by Obinna Jones (Nigeria).
The short stories were selected from a longlist of 10, which were initially selected from almost 500 entries by a team of three judges —Shadreck Chikoti, Emmanuel Sigauke and Beatrice Lamwaka.
The 2018 Short Story Prize is sponsored by The Story Club Malawi.
The three stories on the Third Koffi Addo Prize for Creative Nonfiction shortlist are: Belonging, by Chisanga Mukuka (Zambia), Women Who Bleed Colours, by Ope Adedeji (Nigeria), and The Child and its Many Faces, by Karis Onyemenam (Nigeria).
The three were selected from a longlist of 10 stories, which were also selected from almost 150 entries. The Koffi Addo Prize was judged by Akwaeke Emezi (chair), Sumayya Lee and Daniel Kalinaki.
The six shortlisted creative nonfiction and short stories will be published in the Enkare Review and Munyori Literary Journal.
The authors of the shortlisted stories are expected to attend the annual Writivism Festival in Kampala, where the winners will be announced.
Each winner will be awarded $500 and each author of a shortlisted entry will be awarded $100. Winners will also be eligible for a one month writing residency at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
The festival is scheduled for August 17 to 19, at the Uganda National Theatre and The Square Place in Kampala. The sixth edition will be held under the theme of “Legacy.”
Key speakers lined up for the festival include luminaries Prof Taban Lo Liyong, Goretti Kyomuhendo, authors Akwaeke Emezi (Freshwater), Ijangolet Ogwang (An Image in a Mirror), Mugabi Byenkya (Dear Philemona), Dami Ajayi (A Woman’s Body is a Country), and Shadreck Chikoti (Azotus the Kingdom).