Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique, the leading book prize in French on the continent has been discontinued by its funder the Orange Foundation.
In 2018, the Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique (Orange Book Prize in Africa) was set up to reward a fiction text written in French by an African writer from a publishing house based on the continent. It was supported by The African Cultural Agency alongside the Orange Foundation, the French Institute, UNESCO, OIF, AFD, and DHL. Those who won the award which started becoming the definitive guide on the most import text on the continent in French were Dibakana Mankessi, Michele Rakotoson, Djaïli Amadou Amal, Youssouf Amine Elalamy, and Yamen Manai.
It has emerged that the Orange Foundation which is the main sponsor of the award has withdrawn its support for the prize to focus on education in Africa specifically in schools through clubs. The move by the foundation is baffling to many as the prize was aimed at promoting African literary talents and publishing houses based in Africa.
Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique had built an invaluable ecosystem starting with the reading committees in different African countries who did the pre-selection of the books provided. They were followed by a jury of personalities from the literary world who looked at the five finalists’ books to reach a consensus on a title. In addition to the Africa Awards ceremony, there were professional workshops for finalist editors, an introduction to literary criticism, and eloquence and cultural journalism courses for student groups. A promotional campaign was set up across the continent and in France.
“The removal of the Orange Book Prize in Africa (Pola) has fallen like a coupe!,” said long-time jury chair Veronique Tadjo on her social media. “The abrupt price drop is inexplicable. Has Pola’s innovative dimension been well understood?”
She went on to say, “As jury chair since 2019 and on behalf of the jury members, I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to those who have contributed from near and far to this wonderful literary collaboration. And who believed it without the temptation of cynicism? Patronage is not charity. What matters now is the momentum that Pola has driven. The seed is planted.”
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