The Prix Ahmadou Kourouma 2025 finalists were announced in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Ahmadou Kourouma was a legendary Ivorian novelist of many titles including Les Soleils des indépendances (1968), Le Diseur de verité (1972), and the most famous Allah n’est pas oblige (2000) which was translated to Allah Is Not Obliged. The last title won him awards like the Grand Prix Jean-Giono. Prix Renaudot, and Prix Goncourt des Lycéens.
In 2003, Kourouma passed away and the Salon du Livre Genève (Geneva Book Fair) set up a literary prize in his honour the following year. Awarded annually, the Prix Ahmadou Kourouma rewards a French-speaking, African or African-born author from sub-Saharan Africa, for a fictional work – novel, story, or short story – with the spirit of independence, lucidity, and clairvoyance in the vein of the literary and humanist heritage bequeathed by the Ivorian novelist. It has been won by among others, Scholastique Mukasonga, Tierno Monénembo, Mutt-Lon, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Mbarek Ould Beyrouk, Max Lobe, Wilfried N’Sondé, David Diop, Hemley Boum, Blaise Ndala, Osvalde Lewat, Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, and Bessora.
The 2025 jury is led by Paris-Sorbonne University Director of the International Center for Francophone Studies Romuald Fonkoua (President) and University of Basel Faculty of Arts and Humanities Isabelle Chariotte (Vice President) alongside Geneva Book Fair artistic director Nine Simon, writer, and linguist Associate researcher Mohomodou Houssouba, literary journalist Valerie Marin The Meslee, and Master of Teaching and Research Irena Wyss.
In the running for the award, this year are;
- Jacaranda, Gaël Faye (Grasset)
- The Gates, Gauz (The New Attila)
- Repatriation, Eve Guerra (Grasset)
- Le dernier des arts, Fary Ndao (Présence Africaine)
- Adikou, Raphaëlle Red (Grasset)
- Je remercie la nuit, Véronique Tadjo (Inkwell Memory)
The winner will be announced at the Geneva Book Fair on Friday, March 21.
Please support our work at Writing Africa with a one-off donation or regularly on PayPal, Ko-Fi, Patreon, or Mobile Money by clicking here.
Leave a Reply