We look back at everything we covered in African and Black literature from transitions, literary awards, festivals, books, journals, and everything in between in 2024.
In 2016, we started a series looking back at the year that passed which has since become a tradition here at Writing Africa. You can look at previous recaps here; 2016|2017|2018|2019|2020|2021|2022|2023.
When we started this series, we weren’t aware of many of the happenings in African letters. As we plugged in, we realised that it is tough for any organisation to know everything happening in the African and Black literary scene. It’s impossible with events happening in fifty-something African countries in different language scenes imported (English, French, Portuguese et al) and indigenous. This is why the work done by platforms like Afrolivresque, ArabLit, Africa in Dialogue, Afrocritik, Brittle Paper, Gangoueus, Harare Review of Books, JAY Lit, Maisha Yetu, Open Country Mag, and many others to give you news from the community is so important. While we ask that you check them out, this recap will cover the news we here at Writing Africa focused on in 2024.
Thank you for your support
Thank you all for the support you have given this platform; this would not have been possible without it. I start with the Patreons who have ensured our utilities have been covered over the year beginning with Audrey, Languages Through Music, Marcia, Piers, Anna, Ranka, Omar, Johanna, and Ackerbau. A big thank you also to those who came through with other contributions like Stephen, Mercy, Nadia, Claudia, Soila, and Charlotte using the many available options.
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Transition
This was a sad year for the literary community as Kenyan publisher Henry Chakava, Guadalupian novelist, critic, and playwright Maryse Conde, writer and scholar Funso Aiyejina, Trinidad author and academic Elizabeth Nunez, South African poet, scholar, and activist Breyten Breytenbach, and US poet, writer, and activist Nikki Giovanni all passed away.
This year also saw Salon du livre de Genève’s “African Book Fair” cancelled and Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique discontinued.
Books and other publications
Where literary journals and magazines were concerned we tracked 32 that produced at least one edition in this calendar year. We also noted 167 books produced across African and Black literary spaces in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in many languages.
You can read a fuller analysis of the publications of 2024 here.
Literary Festivals
In 2024, we tracked 124 literary festivals and book fairs across the continent in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinee, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. In the diaspora, there were events in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, Reunion, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, the US Virgin Islands, and the USA.
You can find a greater analysis of these here.
Literary Awards, Residencies, and Fellowships
It was another year of overachieving writers of African descent as they grabbed awards, fellowships, and residencies on the continent and in the diaspora. While it cannot be compared to the heights of 2021 where many huge awards like the Nobel, the Book, and the Prix Goncourt were bagged, it was still a decent haul as Prix Goncourt and Prix Renaudot went to African writers.
Like in previous years, we covered happenings in Africa (continental and national), The Americas, and Europe. If any awards were won by African writers in Asia, we may have missed them, and if you know anything we would appreciate being informed.
You can read a fuller analysis of the Literary Awards, Residencies, and Fellowships of 2024 here.
Advocacy
We live in a turbulent world and the African writing community was not to be left behind by giving their opinions and actions. One of the biggest issues in 2024 was the Israel genocide of Gaza and many writers protested in word and deed. Zukiswa Wanner the first African woman winner of the Goethe Medal surrendered the honour in protest, Kagiso Lesego Molope was thrown out of a gala in Canada, and many including Maaza Mengiste and Michelle Alexander withdrew from the PEN World Voices festival in the US. Many also signed the Israel boycott pledge condemning the Zionist entity’s actions, standing against the atrocities happening in Palestine.
In Kenya, the national Read Loud campaign and the Kenya Readathon were also hosted to boost reading for children and adults. At the same time, authors and organisations protested the government’s new Copyright Amendment Bill.
Have a happy new year 2025!
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