Writivism Short Story Prize 2019, Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize 2019 shortlists announced.

The shortlists for the Writivism Short Story Prize 2019 and the Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize 2019 were announced today May 20, 2019.

Writivism, the project of writing as activism, that works to build the capacity for writing on the continent was started in Kampala, Uganda in 2012. The initiative includes the Writivism Short Story Prize and the Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize both which are a good gauge of the writing coming out of the continent right now. The longlists for the two prizes this year were announced on March 25, 2019.

Writivism Short Story Prize

The Writivism Short Story Prize is the older of the two prizes showcasing some of the best fiction writing since 2013. Previous winners have been Mbogo Ireri (2018), Munachim Amah (2017), Acan Innocent (2016), Pemi Aguda (2015), Saaleha Idrees Bamjee (2014), and Anthea Paelo (2013).

The Writivism Short Story Prize shortlist announced features three stories selected from 387 entries by a team of three judges chaired by Ugandan novelist and short story writer, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. The other judges are Zimbabwean writer and editor, Emmanuel Sigauke and Ghanaian publisher, blogger and activist, Kinna Likimani. Those who have been shortlisted for the prize are;

1. Ghana Boy by Frances Ogamba (Nigeria).

Frances Ogamba’s stories appear in Afridiaspora and Writivism digital mini anthology, Dwartonline and Ynaija websites, and on Enkare Review. She is a workshop alumnus of Writivism 2016, Ake fiction 2016, and Winter Tangerine 2016. She lives in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

2. Tale by Vuyelwa Maluleke (South Africa).

Vuyelwa Maluleke is a Performance Poet, Scriptwriter and Actor, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts from the University of Witwatersrand. She was shortlisted for the Brunel University African Poetry Prize in 2014, and is the author of the chapbook Things We In The Fire. A slam champion of the Word and Sound 2015 Poetry league competition with an essay in the recent publication of Selves: An Afro Anthology of creative non-fiction 2018. She is currently a Masters in Creative Writing candidate at the University previously known as Rhodes.

3. Maserumo by Resoketswe Manenzhe (South Africa)

Resoketswe Manenzhe is a PhD candidate with the chemical engineering department at the University of Cape Town. Starting in 2015, her poems and short stories have appeared in several online magazines and journals, and in 2017, two of her poems were shortlisted for the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Anthology, and subsequently published in the anthology of selected poems. She currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa,

* Notable Mention: There is Goodness Waiting at Home by Temitope Owolabi (Nigeria)

Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize

The Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize, administrated by the Writivism Literary Initiative and named after Ghanaian national Nana Koffi Addo, focuses on nonfiction. It has been won by Ghanaian S.Y Tetteh (2016), South African Charles King(2017), and Zambian Chisanga Mukuka (2018).

The shortlist comprises of three stories selected from 117 entries by a team of three judges chaired by Ghanaian novelist Ayesha Harruna Attah. The other judges are South African novelist, memoirist, poet and short story writer, Karen Jennings and Kenyan academic Dr Christopher Ouma. Those in the running for the prize are;

1. How to Wear Your Body by Eugene Yakubu (Nigeria).

Eugene Yakubu is a storyteller and cultural critic who lives and writes from Nigeria. He writes essays and non-fiction on non-normative identities, fluid gender roles, and human rights. He is conducting graduate research on Queer Studies and LGBTI narratives in African literature at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. His nonfiction This Hell of a Body has been shortlisted for the Gerald Kraak Award 2019.

2. The Valley of Memories by Frances Ogamba (Nigeria).

Frances Ogamba’s stories appear in Afridiaspora and Writivism digital mini anthology, Dwartonline and Ynaija websites, and on Enkare Review. She is a workshop alumnus of Writivism 2016, Ake fiction 2016, and Winter Tangerine 2016. She lives in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

3. The Comedian by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola (Nigeria).

Kanyinsola Olorunnisola is a poet, essayist, and writer of fiction. His work interrogates anxiety, broken lineage, [in]sanity, grief and the black body as a warfront – you know, typical stuff happy people write about. His debut collection of nightmares, In My Country, We’re All Crossdressers was published as a chapbook by Praxis. He is the founder of the SPRINNG Literary Movement.

The winner for the two prizes will be announced at the Writivism Festival 2019 which happens in Kampala, Uganda from August 15-17.