Ugandan Author, Harriet Anena Wins 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize For Literature In Africa

Prof. Wole Soyinka and Harriet Anena

In literary news, Ugandan author, Harriet Anena is one of the recipients of the 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, for her poetry collection entitled 'A Nation in Labour', which she published in 2015.

The announcement was made on Sunday, 9th December in Lagos, Nigeria where she emerged joint winner for the coveted prize with Nigerian poet, Prof. Tanure Ojaide, for his collection 'Songs of Myself'. The accolades were presented by Literary Giant, Wole Soyinka whom the award is in honour of.

Anena was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2018.

Prof. Ojaide has won multiple international and national poetry awards including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for the Africa Region, the BBC Arts and Africa Poetry Award,  the All-Africa Okigbo Prize, to name a few.

Anena shared her gratitude on twitter, "Super happy to be the joint winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, 2018, for my book A Nation in Labour", she expressed. 

L-R: Harriet Anena, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Prof. Tanure Ojaide

Worth $10,000, the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a Pan-African writing prize  that celebrates excellence in all its cerebral grace, its liberating quality, the honour and recognition it brings to a myriad of people, of diverse cultures and languages. It is warded every other year to the best book written by an African in any of the literary genres.

Since its inception in 2005, Anena is the first Ugandan to win the prize. She joins the likes of Nigerian and South African authors: Nnedi Okorafor, Akin Bello, Sefi Atta, Wale Okediran, Kopano Matiwa and Sifiso Mzobe. 

Congratulations! 

Photo Credit: Harriet Anena |Twitter

Source: The Lumina Foundation