On Saturday, March 19 2016 a winner will emerge in the third edition of the Etisalat Prize for Literature. It is a three-way literary battle on who will win Africa’s most prestigious literature Prize. The shortlisted books are The Story of Anna P, as Told by Herself by South Africa’s Penny Busetto, Tram 83 by Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila and What Will People Say? by another South African, Rehana Rossouw.
The winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature 2015 will be unveiled at the Award ceremony holding at the prestigious Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island on Saturday March 19, 2016. This year’s Award Ceremony will embody the theme Representing the Diversity of African Voices by showcasing the richness of Africa and how our diversity converges into one unique voice of the continent. It promises to be an exciting event with performances ranging from poetry, monologues and musical performances by Darey and Asa.
Speaking on the build-up to the grand finale, Modupe Thani, Head, Events and Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria said that already several activities have been lined up to bring the three shortlisted writers closer to the African public ahead of the Award Ceremony. According to her, on Tuesday, March 15 the writers will be showcased at the 2016 edition of Time of the Writer in University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa where they will feature in a panel of literary giants as they take on conversations that matter on book and knowledge.
The literary event will also feature a presentation of shortlisted books to City of Durban Library by Etisalat Prize for Literature followed by a book reading at the the city’s foremost book store with vintage collections, Ike’s Books. The shortlisted writers will also be at the Lagos book reading on Thursday, March 17, the final precursor to the Award Ceremony which will provide Nigerians with a peep into the minds of the three authors.
The winner of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature will receive £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen and a high end device. The winner will also attend the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia under the mentorship of Giles Foden. The Etisalat Prize for Literature also aims to promote the publishing industry at large and will therefore purchase 1000 copies of all shortlisted books which will be donated to various schools, book clubs and libraries across the African continent.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is not only about debut fiction novels. The prize also recognizes unpublished short story writers in the Flash Fiction Category, and this year’s winner will go home with a cash prize of £1,000 cash, a high end device, and will have his or her published e-book promoted online and via SMS.
