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CALL FOR SUBMISSION FOR THE 2024 SAFAL KISWAHILI PRIZE FOR AFRICAN LITERATURE

Dar es Salaam, July 30th 2024… The Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature today announced a call for submission of manuscripts for its 9th edition.

The Prize, formerly known as The Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for Africa Literature, has rebranded its name to reflect the parent organization. Sponsored by the Safal Group through its subsidiaries ALAF Limited (Tanzania) and Mabati Rolling Mills (Kenya). Submission of manuscripts commences today and will close on 30th November 2024. We encourage writers from East Africa and anywhere worldwide who write in Kiswahili to submit their manuscripts and participate in this year’s awards. We especially encourage women Kiswahili writers to submit their manuscripts.

The prize, founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree (Short Story Day Africa) and Dr. Mukoma wa Ngugi (Cornell University), has the express goal of recognizing writing in African languages and encouraging translation from, between, and into African languages.

Over the last eight years, the Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature has supported Kiswahili authors whose manuscripts have since been published by Mkuki na Nyota. Over 24 editions are available to buy at https://mkukinanyota.com/shop/. In 2023, for the 8th edition, 259 manuscripts were submitted.

Compared to previous years, the prize has provided more time for submissions to encourage increased participation. Speaking to the press, Abdilatif Abdalla, the board chairperson for the Kiswahili Prize, said,

“It is very encouraging to see that year after year, the number of participants from both the continent and the diaspora has grown. For example, last year, the total number of manuscripts submitted to the awards was 259. This is evidence of the spread and popularity of the Kiswahili Language worldwide and as a language of unity for the African continent. It is our hope that this year, even more writers working in Kiswahili will submit.”

 

The Safal Group is Africa’s largest supplier of Building solutions that offer superior quality and lasting value to millions of customers on the continent. With operations in 9 countries the businesses in Eastern and Southern Africa, supply a wide range of products under brands that are trusted in the market.

Speaking to the media, ALAF’s Head of External Affairs and Communications- Ms. Hawa Bayumi, said, “Safal Group has over the years focused on 4 main CSI pillars; Health, Education, Environment and Shelter. The Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature falls under the Education pillar.”

“We are very proud to continue supporting the Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, which is aimed at promoting Kiswahili literature and African languages in general. Kiswahili is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world and is used in several countries in Africa. The Safal  Group recognizes the importance of language as a critical tool for cultural, social, and economic development. We will continue to promote the growth of Kiswahili literature through these awards,” Ms. Bayumi added.

This year, the overall prize will be awarded to unpublished manuscripts across the categories of fiction, poetry, memoir, and graphic novels. As of 2023, previously published books will not be considered. The total proposed awards of 15,000 USD will be divided as follows: The top Fiction/Non-Fiction Prize will be awarded 5,000 USD; Top Poetry Prize will be awarded a similar amount of 5,000 USD while the two Runner-up Prizes will be awarded 2,500 USD each in any of the genres written.

The winning entries will be considered for publication in Kiswahili by Mkuki na Nyota Publishers (Tanzania), who will then work with other regional publishers and book distributors to ensure maximum reach for the winning books. The winning poetry will be translated to English and published by the African Poetry Book Fund. An award ceremony will be held in July 2025 with all the shortlisted writers in attendance.

Submission guidelines:

Please send unpublished manuscripts (fiction, poetry, plays, memoir and graphic novels) to: kiswahiliprize@kiswahiliprize.org. Submissions close on November 30, 2024. For more information, please visit https://kiswahiliprize.org  our Kiswahili and English bilingual website.

Prose submissions should be limited to between 40,000 – 60,000 words.

Board of Trustees: Abdilatif Abdalla (Chair), Mukoma wa Ngugi, Lizzy Attree, Walter Bgoya, Sarit Shah, Anthony Ng’ang’a, Chege Githiora, Clarissa Vierke, Farouk Topan, Carole Boyce Davies, and Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

Director: Munyao Kilolo

Website: https://kiswahiliprize.org

Twitter Handle: @KiswahiliPrize

Instagram: @the kiswahiliprize

Contact information: Munyao Kilolo, Mukoma wa Ngugi, Lizzy Attree kiswahiliprize@kiswahiliprize.org

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