The Caine Prize workshop gives aspiring writers two weeks to create and finish a story under the guidance of experienced writers and occurs in a different African country every year. This year the workshop was in Elmina, Ghana in April and was facilitated by first Caine Prize winner Leila Aboulela and Zukiswa Wanner. Elmina is famous as a slave port from the 15th Century and also a former capital of the then Gold Coast.
The participants were: Diane Awerbuck (South Africa), Efemia Chela (Zambia/Ghana), Onipede Hollist (Sierra Leone), Dalle Abraham (Kenya), Nkiacha Atemnkeng (Cameroon), Akwaeke Emezi (Nigeria), Timothy Kiprop Kimutai (Kenya), Jonathan Mbuna (Malawi) and Jonathan Dotse, Jemila Abdulai, Aisha Nelson and Nana Nyarko Boateng (Ghana).
In addition to crafting their stories, the writers also got to take in the sights of the coastal town. They were also lucky to meet world-famous Ghanaian novelist and poet Kojo Laing. Laing’s books include Search Sweet Country (1986), Woman of the Aeroplanes (1988), and the more recent one Big Bishop Roko and the Altar Gangsters (2006).
Here are a few images from the events at Elmina last month courtesy of workshop participants.
P.S. You should read this brilliant review of the event by Cameroonian Nkiacha Atemnkeng; My experience at the 2015 Caine Prize Writers Workshop in Ghana
Leave a Reply