Safal Cornell Prize for African Literature

Our History

In 2014, Lizzy Attree and Mukoma wa Ngugi founded the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature.

The Prize primarily seeks to promote reading and writing in Kiswahili. While there exist international prizes for manuscripts written in English by African authors, none exists for manuscripts written in Kiswahili.

The prize is sponsored by Mabati Rolling Mills and ALAF Ltd, both members of the SAFAL Group of companies, the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs at Cornell University, the Africana Studies at Cornell University and the Ngugi wa Thiong’o Foundation.

Our Objective

Promote and raise awareness of published Kiswahili manuscripts and future writers to excel in this field.

Achievements

Five hundred and eighty-three manuscripts have been submitted over 6 years, with the winning manuscripts published into books.

Update

In 2022, the prize name changed from Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize to Safal Cornell Kiswahili Prize.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. – Nelson Mandela

Learn More