Nigerian wins 2019 Writivism nonfiction prize

Nigeria’s Frances Ogamba has won the Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize for her work, ‘The Valley of Memories.’ Earlier, Ogamba had also been shortlisted for the Writivism Short Story Prize which went to South Africa’s Resoketswe Manenzhe, for ‘Maserumo.’ The Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize was strongly contested by two other Nigerians, Kanyinsola Olorunnisola, for […]

Nigeria’s Frances Ogamba has won the Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize for her work, ‘The Valley of Memories.’

Earlier, Ogamba had also been shortlisted for the Writivism Short Story Prize which went to South Africa’s Resoketswe Manenzhe, for ‘Maserumo.’

The Koffi Addo Creative Nonfiction Prize was strongly contested by two other Nigerians, Kanyinsola Olorunnisola, for ‘The Comedian,’ and Eugene Yakubu, for ‘How to Wear Your Body.’ With an initial submission of 117, entries were judged by Ghanaian novelist Ayesha Harruna Attah, South African novelist Karen Jennings, and Kenyan academic Christopher Ouma.

Both prizes, worth $500 each, were founded in 2012 as a program of the Uganda-based Centre for African Cultural Excellence (CACE) and funded by the Koffi Addo family/MAKEDA in Ghana. It also comes with a month-long residency at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Finalists for the prizes receive $150 each. All longlisted stories for both prizes will appear in Writivism’s annual anthology.

Last year’s winner of the Koffi Addo Prize for Creative Nonfiction is Zambia’s Chisanga Mukuka, while winner for the Writivism Short Story Prize was Kenya’s Mbogo Ireri (2018).