Dear Friends,
I hope this email meets you well. It’s been a busy time for us over here at the Caine Prize and we are excited to catch up with you and let you know what we’ve been up to over the last weeks.
New Partnership
I’m sure that most of you have noticed something very exciting, our name has changed! At the end of January we were thrilled to announce a new partnership with the AKO foundation, a London based charity supporting projects which promote the arts, improve education or mitigate climate problems. As part of the agreement, the Prize becomes the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, and will receive a grant to cover its core costs for the next three years.
Judges
In early February we proudly let you know who the 2020 Caine Prize judges were, we welcome judge’s chair Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE. Audrey Brown, a South African journalist with BBC Africa in London; Gabriel Gbadamosi, a poet, playwright and essayist; Kenyan journalist James Murua, whose blog publishes news and reviews from the African literary scene; and Ebissé Wakjira-Rouw, a Dutch-Ethiopian editor currently working at the Council for Culture. Find out more about them here
Submissions
The deadline for the 2020 Caine Prize was the 31st January 2020, we received over 200 entries and want to thank each and everyone of you for sending your stories in. The quantity and quality of entries is a testament to the literary talent out there.
Looking Forward
We have handed the 2020 submitted stories over to our new judges who are carefully reading Happy reading and good luck judges! Watch this space for the shortlist announcement.
News
Boundless Africa
February 4- 5, The AKO Caine Prize collaborated with the Camargo Foundation and The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center at George Mason University for a unique and ground-breaking two-day literary mini-series called “Boundless: Africa,” the series highlighted creative works from 14 writers from Africa and the Diaspora. “Boundless: Africa” was a part of the Kennedy Center’s 2019-2020 WORLD STAGES season. The AKO Caine Prize Chair Ellah Wakatama moderated a panel discussion, “TALKING HOME: A Writer’s Life” which featured the 2019 Caine Prize winner Lesley Nneka Arimah, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, and Titilope Sonuga. The AKO Caine Prize Vice President Ben Okri and previous winners Helon Habila and Tope Folarin also took part in the event.
Power and Language with Lesley Nneka Arimah at Georgetown University
18th February Lannan Centre for Poetics and Social Practice hosted Power and Language with 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing winner Lesley Nneka Arimah.