Blaise Ndala’s Dans le ventre du Congo is a finalist at Prix du livre d’Ottawa 2022. The announcement was made on September 20, 2022.
Prix du livre d’Ottawa and Ottawa Book Award, founded in 1986, is a Canadian literary award presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written in the previous year by a living author residing in Ottawa. There are 4 awards each year: English fiction and non-fiction (the Ottawa Book Awards); French fiction and non-fiction (Prix du livre d’Ottawa). Some previous winners have been Kagiso Lesego Molope, Andrew Horrall, Estelle Beauchamp, Daniel Poliquin, Margaret Michèle Cook, and Maurice Henrie.
The finalist for 2022 have been announced in both the Prix du livre d’Ottawa and Ottawa Book Awards and one name stands out in Dans le ventre du Congo by Blaise Ndala, a finalist in the former. Ndala was born in Congo (DRC), a country he left in 2003 to study law in Belgium. He emigrated to Canada in 2007. His novels include: J’irai danser sur la tombe de Senghor, Sans capote ni kalachnikov and Dans le ventre du Congo.
Dans le ventre du Congo tells the story of Princess Tshala Nyota Moelo, who breaks free from the control of one of the most prestigious monarchies of pre-colonial Congo. Seduced by a young Belgian settler, she ends up in the last human zoo in Europe.s
Commenting on the listing on Facebook he said, “I thank the jury and congratulate the other finalists.”
Here is Blaise Ndala speaking about being a finalist;
Winners of the awards will be announced in Ottawa, Canada on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. The four prize winners receive $7,500 each and short-listed authors $1,000 each.
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