Aboubacar Dany Camaran won Prix Du Livre Guinéen 2024 in Conakry, Guinee on Monday, October 7, 2024. Sory Dansoko and Lamine Capi Kamara came second and third respectively.
Prix Du Livre Guinéen (English: The Guinean Book Prize) was set up to give more visibility to Guinean authors and publishing houses in 2022. The first winners of the award organised by the Orange Guinea Foundation and the YouScribe digital library were Abdourahmane Senator Diallo, Abdoul Bande, and Raymond Bamane. Ibrahima Bah, Faya Pascal Iffono, and Oumar Bailo Bah came out top in 2023.
For 2024, YouScribe invited authors to submit their work on the platform, before a final selection by the jury members. From July 16 to August 31, 2024, a reading committee, composed of book enthusiasts and professionals chaired by Soussoy Débène, made an initial selection of 8 titles from the 21 proposed. Following this initial selection, readers were invited to vote online to designate the two finalists. A third special mention was also awarded by the jury, to encourage the author.
The winner was announced at the Hotel Palm Camayenne in Conakry on Monday, October 7. The top three and their rewards were;
- Heureux est celui qui croit en son pays!, Aboubacar Dany Camara (Éditions Harmattan) – 20 million Guinean francs and a one-year subscription to the YouScribe library.
- M’Balia ou l’argile blanche de la mine, Sory Dansoko, (Éditions Ganndal) – 15 million Guinean francs and a one-year subscription to the YouScribe library.
- Nothougol ou l’épreuve de virginité, Lamine Capi Kamara, (Éditions Harmattan) – 10 million Guinean francs and a one-year subscription to the YouScribe library.
Aboubacar Dany Camaran said of his win, “I would like to say a vibrant thank you to Harmattan Guinea for the trust. Editing a child empty-handed and without any literary recognition is really daring, you did it. For me, wearing the crown of Guinean literature through this Guinean Book Prize in its 3rd edition is a moral satisfaction since it is the result of several months of sleepless nights. I can confidently say that this trophy is a real stepping stone for my literary future. This is the place and moment for me to bow in reverence and say thank you to all those who offered me their unwavering support for this noble conquest.”
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