SHORTLIST FOR THE AEKO CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING

Shortlist for the Aeko prize for African writing

THE AEKO CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING

The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual registered charity named after the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc, who was Chairman of the 'Africa 95' arts festival in Europe and Africa in 1995 whose aim is to bring African writing to a wider audience using their annual literary award and to connect to different African writers through various public events. The Ako Caine prize for African writing also aims at bringing up emerging  writers and to put them in the mainstream of publishing.

The stories written at Caine Prize workshops are published annually alongside the Prize's shortlisted stories in the annual Caine Prize Anthology by New Internationalist in the UK and publishers in eight African countries including, Jacana Media (South Africa), Cassava Republic (Nigeria), Kwani? (Kenya), Sub-Saharan Publishers (Ghana), FEMRITE (Uganda), Gadsen Publishers (Zambia), 'amaBooks (Zimbabwe) and Langaa (Cameroon).

Below are the writers whose work were shortlisted for the 2020 The AKO Caine Prize for African Writings

Erica Sugo Anyadike is a Tanzanian writer based in Kenya. She began her career in South Africa as a screenwriter and worked in various capacities in the television sector. she created briefs and commissioned television series as a broadcaster, and has also written various short stories 

Chikodili Emelumadu was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and raised in Nigeria. Her work has previously been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015), the Caine Prize for African Literature (2017) and a Nommo award (2020). In 2019, she won the inaugural Curtis Brown First Novel prize for her novel ‘Dazzling’. 

Jowhor Ile was born and raised in Nigeria. He is known for his first novel, And After Many Days. In 2016, the novel was awarded the Etisalat Prize for Literature. Ile's short fiction has appeared in The Sewanee Review, McSweeney's Quarterly and Litro Magazine.

 

Rémy Ngamije is a Rwandan-born Namibian writer and photographer. His debut novel The Eternal Audience Of One is forthcoming from Scout Press (S&S). He is the editor-in-chief of Doek!, Namibia’s first literary magazine. His short stories have appeared in Litro Magazine, AFREADA amongst other publications

Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian British writer. Her debut novel Butterfly Fish won a Betty Trask award and was also shortlisted for an Edinburgh International First Book Award. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, amongst other publications

Click on this link to read more about the The Aeko Prize for African Writing