Nigeria’s Ogamba Frances is Kalahari Prize 2020 English winner

Nigeria’s Ogamba Frances has been announced as the English winner of the Kalahari Short Story Prize 2020 for her piece ‘My Husband’s Wife’.

Second and third place went to Howard M-B Maximus and Muhumuza Charles respectively.

• I would’ve become head of state if I wanted – Domkat Bali
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In May, La Cene Littéraire, famous for the Prix Les Afriques, established the Kalahari Short Story Competition for writers producing work in Kiswahili, French, or English who have not written a full-length novel.

The prize was judged by Neema Mturo, Lello Mmasy, and Elias Mutani in Kiswahili; Armand Gauz, Hélène Tissières, Aurore Foukissa, Philippe Bonvin, Astrid Aïdolan-Ague and Flora Agnes Nda Zoa in French; and Elnathan John, Caoilinn Hughes, and May-Ian Tan in English.

Judges’ described Frances’ work as “A quietly devastating work that realizes its ambitions with impeccable grace while feeling completely organic. Seemingly without exposition, the writer establishes the characters, setting, and cultural mores, and, through the cadence of the language, subtly evokes the story’s emotional climate and constellation. I was captivated by the serene precision of the writing, its strong, steady pulse, and the many layers moving beneath its surface. “

The English section of the competition received 286 stories from 49 countries and from these, the judges announced the winners. They are;