Meet The Shortlisted Creatives For The 2020 Ako Caine Prize For African Writing

The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is a literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. The prize was launched in 2000 to encourage and highlight the richness and diversity of African writing by bringing it to a wider audience internationally.

Five writers have been shortlisted from Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania for this year’s prize. Each one of these creatives crafted “beautiful, brilliant and surprising stories” and are winners in their own rights.

The shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize are:

 

1. Erica Sugo Anyadike (Tanzania) for ‘How to Marry An African President’ published in adda: Commonwealth Stories (2019). Read ‘How to Marry An African President’ 
2. Chikodili Emelumadu (Nigeria & UK) for ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’ published in The Shadow Booth: Vol.2 (2018). Read ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’
3. Jowhor Ile (Nigeria) for ‘Fisherman’s Stew’, published in The Sewanee Review (2019). Read ‘Fisherman’s Stew’
4. Rémy Ngamije (Rwanda & Namibia) for ‘The Neighbourhood Watch’, published in The Johannesburg Review of Books (2019). Read ‘The Neighbourhood Watch’
5. Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria & UK) for ‘Grace Jones’ from “Nudibranch”, published by Hachette (2019). Read ‘Grace Jones’

Each shortlisted writer will receive £500, and the winner, £10,000. Not unrelated to the current pandemic, and prioritizing the safety of everyone involved with the award, the Ako Caine Prize hopes to announce the winner of the £10,000 prize in the autumn. The shortlisted stories will be published in an anthology.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers!