Fiston Mwanza Mujila whose novel Le Danse du Vilain won Le Prix Les Afriques 2021 received his award in a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland on June 25, 2022.
Prix Les Afriques is awarded annually to an African or writer of African descent who has written fiction highlighting a human, societal, ideological, political, cultural, economic, or historical issue related to Africa or its diaspora. Prix Les Afriques, created by Swiss lawyer Ngoãn Beti founded association La Cene Littéraire in 2015, gives exposure to African authors and authors of African descent. It has been won previously by Ayobami Adebayo (2020), Elnathan John (2019), Kei Miller (2018), Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin (2017), and Hemley Boum (2016).
In 2021, the award went to the Editions Métailié-published Le Danse du Vilain by Fiston Mwanza Mujila in December. The Congo-born Austria-based writer was to receive a cash prize of 6,000 Swiss Francs, a work of art worth 3,500 Swiss Francs offered by Senegalese painter Momar Seck, and 100 books bought from the publisher.
On June 25, the awards team gave award his dues in a ceremony in a hotel in Geneva. The ceremony was attended by the award winner as well as the painter who had done the work being handed out.
Fiston Mwanza Mujila said, “When I work, I summon everyone, my parents, my ancestors… They’re all right there with me.”
Apart from handing out the award, it was revealed that La Cene Littéraire had bought the rights for the Francophone Africa zone and will reissue 5,000 copies which will be distributed to colleges and universities.
After the ceremony, those who were present lined up to get their copy of the book signed by the award winner.
Here are some images from the event courtesy of its organisers;
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