By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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Manuscripts by five Tanzanian and three Kenyan authors have made it to the 2023 Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature shortlist.

The shortlisted works and authors were announced in the categories of fiction, poetry and short story collections. The shortlist was announced in Nairobi on January 10, 2024.

In the Fiction category are Dunia Duara by Philipo Oyaro (Tanzania), Salome Anaishi by Nicholas Ogal (Kenya), and Safari ya Maisha by Ahmad Simba (Tanzania); while in the Poetry category are Changa la Macho by Fatuma Salim (Tanzania), Ndani Ya Subira Kichwangomba by Lenard Mtesigwa (Tanzania), and Ushairi wa Maisha ya Kesho by John Karithi (Kenya). In the Short Story Collections category are Edwin Omindo – Mtoto wa Mama na Hadithi Nyingine (Kenya), and Stallone Joyfully – Koti la Karani na Hadithi Nyingine (Tanzania).

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Cash prizes

The overall winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on February 9, 2024 in Nairobi.

The cash prizes totalling $15,000 will be awarded to the best unpublished manuscript in the categories of fiction, poetry, memoir, and graphic novels. The first fiction/non-fiction prize is $5,000, the first poetry prize $5,000, while the runner-up prize in every genre is $2,500.

In addition to the prizes, winning entries will be considered for publication by Mkuki na Nyota Publishers in Tanzania while the winning poetry will be translated into English and published by the Africa Poetry Book Fund.

The prize is supported by Safal Group, the Africana Studies Centre at Cornell University, and the Ngugi wa Thiong’o Foundation.

The Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature was founded in 2014 by Dr Lizzy Attree and D. Mukoma wa Ngugi to recognise writing in African languages and encourage translation from, between, and into African languages.

The chair of this year’s judges panel, Prof Kyallo Wamitila (University of Nairobi) said that the submissions were many and varied, which attests to the talent and creativity in East Africa.

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“This is something to be grateful about and augurs well regarding the future of Kiswahili literature. The idea to come up with this award, actualise and to sustain it is a major boon to young, aspiring as well as accomplished authors since it gives them a very good platform to show what they can do,” Prof Wamitila said.

The other judges were Dr Zuhura Badru of the University of Dodoma, and Ali Mwalim Rashid of the State University of Zanzibar.