By Anote Ajeluorou
Nigeria’s pride of place
in Africa’s literary landscape appears confirmed. The country’s leading
position became evident again in Africa’s coveted literary prize, the Wole
Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, worth USD$20,000, as eight Nigerian
writers made the longlist. The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature was instituted
in honour of black Africa’s first winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and
managed by the Dr. Ogochukwu Promise-led The Lumina Foundation.
Nigeria has since inception of the
prize in 2005 won virtually every year, with the exception of 2010, when the
prize produced joint winners – Nigeria’s (Dr. Wale Okediran, with Tenants of
the House and South Africa’s Dr. Kopano Matlwa, with Coconut). In 2008, it was Nigeria’s
Nnedi Okoroafor, with Zarah the Wind Seeker while Sefi Atta won the maiden
edition with her work, Everything Good Will Come. The prize is in its fourth
edition.
Nigerian writers in the longlist
include Tanure Ojaide (The Beauty I have Seen), Toyin Adewale-Gabriel
(Bitter Chocolate),
Hyginus Ekwuazi (That Other Country), Belgium-based Chika Unigwe (On Black
Sister’s Street)
and Dike Ogu Chukwumerije (The African-American). Others are Akachi
Adimora-Ezeigbo (Roses and Bullets), Odili Ujubuonu (Pride of the Spider Clan) and Olushola Olugbesan
(Only a Canvass).
Others in the longlist from the rest of
Africa are Kgebetli Moele (The Book of the Dead), Bridget Pit (The
Unseen Leopard),
Sifiso Mzobe (Young Blood), Marie Heese (The Colour of Power), H.J. Golakai (Lazarus
Effect),
Sue Rabie (Fallout)
and Arja Salafranca (The Thin Line). The other candidates are from Liberia, South
Africa, Mali, Uganda, The Gambia nd Kenya.
While announcing the longlist,
chairman, Board of Trustees of The Lumina Foundation, Mrs. Francesca Emanuel,
said the panel of judges for the 2012 edition “are made up of distinguished
intellectuals from South Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire and South
Africa”, and said they were already working hard to have a shortlist of authors
announced later this month. The prize will be given early September.
To chair the high profile award dinner
in September will be former Ghanaian President, Mr. John Kufour; he will also
deliver the keynote address. Governors of Ogun and Lagos States, Sen. Ibikunle
Amosun and Mr. Raji Fashola, will also be in attendance.
A total of 402 writers applied for this
year’s edition from 26 African countries as against 336 in 2010 in the biennial
award. The prize is managed by the Dr. Ogochukwu Promise-led The Lumina
Foundation, a foundation at the forefront of promoting literature, books and
reading.
Emanuel said the goals and aims behind
the institution of the prize include propagating the dynamics of self
enhancement, celebrating excellence, patriotism, integrity, heroism,
intellectualism and selfless service epitomized by the man, Wole Soyinka,
generating excellent books (both in content and packaging) authored by
Africans, fostering global harmony through the provision of opportunities for
appreciation of cross cultural perspectives, extensively promote the authors
and their works, according them the recognition they deserve among renowned
authors across the world.
Others are to celebrate awesome
creative pieces in all their cerebral grace, liberating qualities, the honour
and recognition they bring to a myriad of people, of diverse cultures and
languages, providing informative entertainment and create avenues for literary
performances, making the winning works and shortlisted works available and
affordable, and generally improving the reading culture and the quality of the
books we read.
A major feature for this
fourth edition is the coming on board of telecommunication company, Globacom
Nigeria Limited, as major sponsor of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in
Africa. Globacom’s gesture towards the core arts through this sponsorship is a
departure from what has come to be regarded as a corporate social
responsibility-given, where corporations in Globacom’s rating focus only on the
showy, flashy side of the creative industry, especially Nigeria’s music and
movie, otherwise known as Nollywood, sections of the art that have caused much
blushes in their portraiture of Africa’s core values.
Director, Events and Sponsorship for
the telecom company, Mr. Bode Opeseitan, had remarked that Globacom was
delighted to be part of the Syinka prize, “Which seeks to encourage capacity
building in literary works, especially within the African continent. Our
involvement in this project is a further demonstration of our commitment to
giving value to our subscribers as well as contributing to the intellectual
development of the communities where we operate”.
He commended the giant strides The
Lumina Foundation had made since instituting the prize, and stressed that the
partnership with the Soyinka prize “is therefore geared towards providing
informative entertainment and create avenues for literary performances, in
addition to improving the reading culture and the quality of the books produced
across Africa.
“We believe that successful partnership
between the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and Globacom will see
the emergence of more Soyinkas and others in the nearest future, thus
fulfilling the objective of the project, which is to discover, recognize and reward
the best literary works produced by Africans”.
On the partnership with Globacom,
Emanuel enthused that the company’s support “admirably demonstrates corporate
citizenship, a Nigerian ethos and an African outlook. Together, in appreciating
the authors, we appreciate ourselves better as Africans.
“In exploring the themes, issues and
topics raised by these artists, we ennoble and educate ourselves, and make
ourselves better heard. Together, we can continue to uphold the essential goals
of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa: African Voices, African
Views, for African Issues”.
Also, a major shift in the prize format
will be its rotation amongst the genres from 2014, with prose fiction (full
length novel or collection of short stories by a single author). Thereafter,
drama will take its turn in 2016, poetry in 2018 and essays (on political and
human right issues) in 2020.
Also responding to the new partnership
between the Soyinka prize and the telecom company was journalist, culture
activist and writer, Mr. Ben Tomoloju, who referred to Soyinka as his mentor.
He commended the synergy between the two in celebrating Africa’s literary icon,
Soyinka, whom he said embodies professional excellence. He also commended the
company for the promotion of “our collective vision as a people”.
He noted that writers had been
concerned about the distress of literature tradition from the 1980s, and said a
lot of razzmatazz accompanied other art forms like music and movies, while
literature was often left out of sponsorship radar. Tomoloju further added that
even Nollywood stood to benefit from a virile literary tradition that had
active corporate support so as to develop the sloppy scripts from the movie
industry, declaring that developing good literature amounted to developing good
society.
On her part, CEO, The Lumina
Foundation, Dr. Ogochukwu Promise, was full of gratitude for the partnership
with Globacom, saying, “When we approached Globacom for the sponsorship of this
prestigious prize, they matched our enthusiasm with uncommon zeal, bringing
with them their intent on recognising excellence, celebrating our rich African
values and promoting ideas
that nurture talents, artistic grace and foster world peace.
“For not hesitating to partner with us
in making the 2012 edition of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, for
being generous and efficient, we thank you immensely. I know that together we
shall take this Prize to greater heights”.
Promise stated that the 15 novels would
be actively promoted in a reading session every Tuesday at 4pm at 19 University
of Lagos Road, Akoka, Lagos. The initiative is designed to endear the works to
the public before the award proper in September.
She also expressed gratitude to other
sponsors like Macmillan Nigerian Publishers, Zenith, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Tanus
Books, Bookcraft and Oracle Books that had been with the prize from inception.
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