Goethe-Institut presents #AFROYOUNGADULT: A talent-search for Young Adult Fiction from Africa

Meet the facilitators for the Goethe Institut’s #AfroYoungAdult workshops.

The team running the Goethe sponsored #AfroYoungAdult project has announced the facilitators for the workshops to be conducted across eight African cities.

In September 2018, the Goethe-Institut invited aspiring African writers interested in writing for Young Adult fiction to submit short stories of 3000-5000 words in length in Kiswahili, English or French. The best texts would be selected and their authors invited to participate in workshops across the continent in February 2019. Then a further selection from these stories would be done for publication in an anthology to be launched at Ake Festival 2019.

With those who were selected to participate in the workshop to be announced on January 3, we introduce you to the team who will be conducting them across Africa. They are;

Mamle Wolo (Accra, Ghana).

Mamle Wolo
Mamle Wolo

Mamle Wolo is a Ghanaian-German writer who studied Modern Languages and is currently studying for a Masters in Creative Writing with University of Lancaster. She won the 2011 Burt Award for The Kaya Girl.

Richard Ali Mutu (Dakar, Senegal).

Richard Ali

Richard Ali Mutu champions literature in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He writes in Lingala and French. His Lingala novel, Ebamba, Kinshasa-Makambo (2014) has been translated into English as Mr Fix-It. He is the founder of the Association of Young Writers of Congo (AJECO).

Elias Mutani (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania).

Elias Mutani
Elias Mutani

Elias Mutani is a two-time Burt Award winner with his Young Adult fiction titles, Human Poachers and The Wanderer and the Golden Paper Knife. Elias is also a translator of creative works and has been part of the Swahili-English translation team for the Commonwealth Foundation as well as for the Caine Prize.

Zukiswa Wanner (Kigali, Rwanda).

Zukiswa Wanner. Photo/Fungai Machirori
Zukiswa Wanner. Photo/Fungai Machirori

Zukiswa Wanner is the curator of the #AfroYoungAdult initiative and founded and curated Artistic Encounters. She has written four novels, two works of nonfiction, and two children’s books.

Mohale Mashigo (Johannesburg, South Africa).

Mohale Mashigo
Mohale Mashigo

Mohale Mashigo is the winner of the University of Johannesburg Prize for her debut novel, The Yearning. Her latest work is a sci-fi short story collection, The Intruders. Mashigo has written a Young Adult novelization of Beyond the River and is the writer for the SA comic, Kwezi.

William Ifeanyi Moore (Lagos, Nigeria)

William Ifeanyi Moore
William Ifeanyi Moore

William Ifeanyi Moore is a Nigerian writer, poet and head of editorial at folio.ng. His latest work, 13 Moons, explores African folklore storytelling techniques through an illustrated series that seeks to push boundaries in style.

Edwige Renee Dro (Lome, Togo).

Renee Edwige Dro
Renee Edwige Dro

Edwige Renee Dro writes in English and French. Her short stories have been published on La Shamba, Prufrock and Mslexia. She’s been a judge for the Etisalat Prize for Fiction and is an Africa39 alumnus.

Kinyanjui Kombani (Nairobi, Kenya).

Kinyanjui Kombani
Kinyanjui Kombani

Kinyanjui Kombani is the Burt Award 2018 winner for his novella, Finding Colombia. Two of his other novellas were national finalists for the national Burt Award for Kenya. His other works include one young adult title, two novels, and four children’s stories.

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