By Anote Ajeluorou
LAST week new Pan African literary prize entrant for first
time authors, Etisalat Prize for Literature worth £15,000, unveiled this year’s
jury members to the media in Lagos, with jury member for last year, Dr. Sarah
Ladipo Manyika, as chair of judges. Manyika teaches Literature at San Francisco
State University, U.S., and will be assisted by award-winning British-Sudanese
writer, Jamal Mahjoub, Francophone writer, Alain Mabanckou and Zimbabwean writer
and filmmaker, Tsitsi Dangarembga.
But of immense
significance from Etisalat was the invitation to other Nigerian companies to
join in supporting the country’s vibrant art and culture sector, which
currently suffers dire neglect in terms of sponsorship. This crucial call was
made by Head, Corporate Communications, High Value Events and Sponsorship, Ebi
Atawodi, who commended the efforts of two other companies currently supporting
the other two literary prizes originating from the country – Wole Soyinka Prize
for Literature in Africa and The Nigeria Prize for Literature.
Atawodi said while the
other two prizes were sponsored by the respective gas and telecommunication companies,
the Etisalat prize originates from within the company as part of Etisalat’s
corporate vision to give Nigeria’s arts and culture a handle to flourish,
especially in an environment that has become increasingly philistinic and harsh
to ideas of the mind that art and culture represent. She noted, “We applaud
other companies supporting arts and culture and we hope other companies will
join in supporting Nigeria’s arts and culture. While those other companies
sponsor those prizes, we own and initiated this prize as part of our corporate
philosophy”.
Her boss and Managing
Director, Mr. Matthew Wilsher, also said though a company’s sponsorship is
usually based on the visibility and market share value of such effort,
supporting a prize like this wasn’t based on such consideration, but basically
as a way of showing that “Etisalat cares about people’s lives. Supporting
literacy is important to us and Nigeria. The prize differentiates the Etisalat
brand from others”.
Wilsher said he was
proud of the maiden edition of the prize last year that Noviolet Bulawayo won
with her book, We Need New Names,
adding, “The whole contest was a tremendous journey. We have a long-term
commitment of building an unrivalled prize for African writers. We’re grateful
to the judges, who are renowned writers the world over”.
He felt grateful
also for the giant leaps his company has made since its incorporation to some
19 million customers and Etisalat being a billion dollar company. According to
him, “We’re supporting culture like literature with this prize. Young writers
can enhance the flame behind African literature by giving it more publicity and
focus”.
Although August 8 is
deadline for submission of entries for this year’s prize, the original date,
May 12 for the announcement, didn’t hold, as it came a clear two months after.
No reason was advanced for this lateness. However, the longlist will be out on November
3 and shortlist on December 8 while the prize will be given early next year.
The prize has a board of patrons, which include
some of Africa’s finest intellectuals – Ellah Wakatama Allfrey (OBE), Dele
Olojede, Ama Ata-Aidoo, Margaret Busby (OBE), Prof. Kole Omotoso and Zakes Mda.
At the unveiling, Manyika expressed delight
at being invited to take up the jury chair, saying how satisfying it was to
have been a part of the inaugural edition of prize in 2013. She said, “I’m
delighted to be asked to chair a group of judges. This is a huge prize for
literature, not only in Africa but the world. We want it to continue and get
even better. The prize is very unique, very thoughtfully put together. It’s
Africa’s most prestigious prize. Having to purchase 1000 copies of shortlisted
author’s books and go on tour are unique features of the prize; it’s very
exciting for the writers and their readers.
“The 2013 longlist was uniquely different; it
had six women, five Nigerians and three international publishers. So, there was
a lot of diversity. I’m hoping for more diversity this year”.
Although Mahjoub and Mabanckou were
absent, Zimbabwe’s Dangarembga (author of Nervous
Condition and The Book of Not)
made it and praised the prize as a “wonderful and amazing initiative” and
expressed how honoured she was to be invited to be a judge. She equally
expressed her excitement at the prize, saying, “I’m excited we have the prize; it
shows we haven’t been put out of context. We want to see the prize progress”.
Dangarembga also
said, “We need to consume our own literature; we need to know ourselves. I hope
writers will feel challenged by the prize, make them feel bold, to present new
voices and characters and to encourage publishers to take on new writers. I
look forward to it”.
Explaining away the
non-inclusion of Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka in the profiling of African
writers at the award ceremony last year, Omotoso said it was clearly an omission.
He, however, said amend was made when the three writers visited Soyinka with
signed copies of their books to him to apologise.
Olojede, publisher
of rested NEXT newspaper, dashed
hopes of the prize money possibly being raised higher from its current £15,000
for now. He said, almost as if begrudging writers such would-be fortune, that a
prize shouldn’t be a money-guzzling affair but purely as a means of recognition.
Already, the
promised book tour for the authors has started, with Nairobi, Kenya, being the
starting point. Other cities will soon follow suit to experience the authors, the
prize sponsor said.
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