The shortlist of five writers in the running for the Afritondo Short Story Prize 2023 was announced on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
Afritondo, a platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of African and black minority populations across the globe, is the organisation behind the Afritondo Short Story Prize. Previous winners have been Howard Meh-Buh Maximus, Jarred Thompson, and Desta Haile.
The judging panel for the award for 2023 comprises Ugandan author Doreen Baingana, Ghanaian author Ayesha Harruna Attah, and Zambian-Ghanaian writer and editor Efemia Chela. They announced the longlist on February 11 before the shortlist was announced on Saturday.
The judges said on the shortlist, “These stories took us on journeys that were wild, tender, surreal, and heartbreaking; all of them unpacking the varied meanings, joys, pain and power of being “alien”. Whether as outsiders in a new place or strangers at home, these stories sensitively explored relationships, community and identity in remarkably fresh ways. A confirmation, yet again, that the African short story is alive and kicking!”
The shortlisted stories are;
- Jenny Robson, The Sister-in-law (South Africa/Botswana)
- Ani Kayode Somtochukwu, Grey Is a Colour That Never Stains (Nigeria)
- Ayo Awoyungbo, The Man from Abeokuta (United Kingdom)
- Enit’ayanfe Ayosojumi Akinsanya, The Anatomy of Flying Things (Nigeria)
- Alex Kadiri, The Hyena and The Two-Headed Goat (Nigeria)
The winner, to be announced at a yet-to-be-known date, goes home with the US$1,000 prize money. An anthology of the longlist is expected later in the year.
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