4 Nigerians make James Currey Prize for African Literature 2022 longlist

Four Nigerians are among the long list of 10 authors for the James Currey Prize for African Literature 2022.

Rose Okeke—‘Child of Corn’; Sumaila Isah Umaisha—‘Glass House’; Esomnofu Ebelenna Tobenna—‘Madness’ and Chima Ugokwe—‘Drumbeat of the Gods’, all made the longlist as they hope to follow the second winner of the award. A Nigerian, Ani Kayode Somtochukwu won the inaugural award in 2021.

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The James Currey Prize for African Literature is an annual award for the best unpublished work of fiction written in English by any writer, set in Africa or on Africans in Africa or in the Diaspora. It was established in 2020 by Nigerian writer, filmmaker, and publisher Onyeka Nwelue, in honour of James Currey, a publisher of academic books on Africa.

A shortlist will be released on July 1 followed by the announcement of the winner on September 3 at a prize ceremony scheduled at the University of Oxford during the James Currey Literary Festival. The winner receives £1000.

The jury for 2022 includes Ever Obi, Indian author and scholar, Dr Suraj Yengde; Teri Sillo (United Kingdom); Thomas Dukelabik Amanquandor (Ghana); Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (Nigeria), Olukorede S Yishau (Nigeria) and Charmaine R Mujeri (Zimbabwe).

Ever Obi, the Chair of the Jury, in a statement said: “It is my pleasure to announce the longlist of the 2022 James Currey Prize for African Literature. The College of Readers sent in 20 entries, which we as the Jury had to cut down to a long list of 10. The 20 manuscripts in the competition were distributed amongst all Jury members—in no particular order. We have now assessed them, using our criteria and guideline to come up with a long list.”

Others on the longlist are Mohammed Hammie —‘Mandiga’s Well’ (Tanzania); David Ngumi —‘The Hitman’ (Kenya); Buntu Siwisa—‘Paperless’ (South Africa); Evanson Njuki—‘If War Were a Country’ (Kenya); Abenea Ndago—‘Lord Kitchener’ (Kenya); and Peter Muigai —‘In the Castle of My Heart’ (Kenya).