The Caine Prize for African Writing
Awarded forBest short story by an African writer in the English language
First awarded2000; 24 years ago (2000)
Websitehttp://www.caineprize.com

The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2000, the £10,000 prize was named in memory of businessman and philanthropist Sir Michael Harris Caine,[1] former Chairman of Booker Group and of the Booker Prize management committee.[2] The Caine Prize is sometimes called the "African Booker".[3] The Chair of the Board is Ellah Wakatama, appointed in 2019.[4]

Between 2020 and 2022 it was styled as the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing due to a three-year grant from Nicolai Tangen's AKO Foundation.[5]

History and background

The Caine Prize is a registered charity with the aim of bringing African writing to a wider audience through an annual literary award. It is named after businessman and philanthropist Sir Michael Caine (1927–1999), former Chairman of Booker plc, who also chaired the "Africa95" arts festival and the Booker Prize management committee for almost 25 years. After his death, friends and colleagues established the prize to be awarded annually in his memory.[2]

The prize was first awarded in 2000, to the Sudanese writer Leila Aboulela for her short story "The Museum", at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Harare. In its first year the Caine Prize attracted entries from 20 African countries.

The winner is announced at a dinner in July, formerly held in Oxford but most recently at SOAS, University of London,[6] to which the shortlisted candidates are all invited. This is part of a week of activities for the candidates, including readings, book signings and press opportunities.

Additionally, the Caine Prize arranges writers' workshops that are held in a different African country each year.[2]

Supporters

Among supporters of the prize are friends of Sir Michael Caine in the UK, United States and Africa, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, the Zochonis Foundation, the Marit & Hans Rausing Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Headley Trust, the Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust, the David Alliance Family Foundation, the Cairns Charitable Trust, the Botwinick-Wolfensohn Family Foundation, the Sunrise Foundation, the Von Clemm Charitable Trust, the Royal Over-Seas League, Sarova Hotels, Bata Shoes (Kenya) Ltd and (Zimbabwe) Ltd and Kenya Airways.

The five African winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature have supported the Caine Prize as patrons: Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer, Naguib Mahfouz, J. M. Coetzee and Abdulrazak Gurnah. Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, Sir Michael's widow, was founding President of the council and Jonathan Taylor the first Chair.[7]

Critical reception

In 2011, Nigerian-American writer and critic Ikhide Ikheloa criticized the Caine Prize: "The creation of a prize for 'African writing' may have created the unintended effect of breeding writers willing to stereotype Africa for glory. The mostly lazy, predictable stories that made the 2011 shortlist celebrate orthodoxy and mediocrity. … The problem now is that many writers are skewing their written perspectives to fit what they imagine will sell to the West and the judges of the Caine Prize."[8]

In 2019, a story was removed from the shortlist after "an allegation" led to admission of "the author’s failure to attribute a core source", i. e. Laleh Khadivi's 2014 story.[9]

List of winners

Year Author Work Source(s)
2000 Leila Aboulela (Sudan) "The Museum" [10][11]
2001 Helon Habila (Nigeria) "Love Poems" [12][13]
2002 Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya) "Discovering Home" [14][15]
2003 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (Kenya) "Weight of Whispers" [16][17]
2004 Brian Chikwava (Zimbabwe) "Seventh Street Alchemy" [18][19]
2005 S. A. Afolabi (Nigeria) "Monday Morning" [20][21]
2006 Mary Watson (South Africa) "Jungfrau" [22][23]
2007 Monica Arac de Nyeko (Uganda) "Jambula Tree" [24][25]
2008 Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa) "Poison" [26][27]
2009 E. C. Osondu (Nigeria) "Waiting" [28][29]
2010 Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) "Stickfighting Days" [30][31]
2011 NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) "Hitting Budapest" [32]
2012 Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) "Bombay’s Republic" [33][34]
2013 Tope Folarin (Nigeria) "Miracle" [35]
2014 Okwiri Oduor (Kenya) "My Father's Head" [36]
2015 Namwali Serpell (Zambia) "The Sack" [37]
2016 Lidudumalingani Mqombothi (South Africa) "Memories We Lost" [38][39][40]
2017 Bushra Elfadil (Sudan) "The Story of the Girl Whose Bird Flew Away" [41][42][43]
2018 Makena Onjerika (Kenya) "Fanta Blackcurrant" [44][45][46]
2019 Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) "Skinned" [47]
2020 Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria) "Grace Jones" [48][49][50]
2021 Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) "The Street Sweep" [51]
2022 Idza Luhumyo (Kenya) "Five Years Next Sunday" [52][53][54][55][56]
2023 Mame Bougouma Diene & Woppa Diallo (Senegal) "A Soul of Small Spaces" [57]

Notes

  1. ^ Dwyer, Colin (8 July 2015). "Caine Prize Winner: Literature Is Not A Competitive Sport". NPR. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "About". The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.
  3. ^ Alison Flood, "'African Booker' shortlist offers an alternative view of continent", The Guardian, 1 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Our New Chairperson". The Caine Prize. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. ^ http://www.caineprize.com/press-releases/2020/1/22/rz9j4juxtm4izsaw5k2q894sq75qot-89lcc
  6. ^ "2018 Caine Prize for African Writing returns to SOAS next month", SOAS, University of London, 25 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Founding". The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.
  8. ^ Ikhide R. Ikheloa, "The 2011 Caine Prize: How Not to Write About Africa", Next magazine, 20 May 2011. Archived at Ikhide.
  9. ^ http://www.caineprize.com/press-releases/2019/9/3/caine-prize-response-to-allegations-against-all-our-lives
  10. ^ "The Caine Prize". BBC. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  11. ^ "Leila Aboulela". Contemporary Writers. British Council. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  12. ^ Stephen Williams (1 September 2001). "Nigeria's Habila wins Caine prize". All Business. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Helon Habila". Contemporary Writers. British Council. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  14. ^ Mwenda Micheni (3 May 2010). "Caine Prize sways African writing". The East African. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  15. ^ Stephen Williams (1 September 2002). "Caine Prize 2002: Top award goes to Kenya's Wainaina". All Business. Reprinted at The Free Library.
  16. ^ "Weight of Whispers by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor". Kwani. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  17. ^ Michelle Pauli (15 July 2003). "Kenya celebrates Caine prize double". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Writing Pains". African Writing Online. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  19. ^ Michelle Pauli (20 July 2004). "Caine prize winner announced". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  20. ^ Michelle Pauli (6 July 2005). "Afolabi wins 'African Booker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  21. ^ "Literary win for Nigerian writer". BBC. 5 July 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  22. ^ Michelle Pauli (11 July 2006). "Mary Watson wins 'African Booker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  23. ^ "SA literary prize winner's joy". BBC. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  24. ^ Michelle Pauli (10 July 2007). "Love story wins 'African Booker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  25. ^ "'Taboo' story takes African prize". BBC. 10 July 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  26. ^ Lindesay Irvine (8 July 2008). "Henrietta Rose-Innes wins £10,000 Caine prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  27. ^ "South African wins top book prize". BBC. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  28. ^ Alison Flood (7 July 2009). "EC Osondu takes £10,000 'African Booker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  29. ^ "Nigerian scoops African 'Booker'". BBC. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  30. ^ "Olufemi Terry Wins the £10 000 Caine Prize for African Writing". BOOK Southern Africa. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  31. ^ "Sierra Leone's Olufemi Terry wins Caine writing prize". BBC. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  32. ^ Alison Flood (12 July 2012). "NoViolet Bulawayo wins 'African Booker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  33. ^ Ben, ed. (2 July 2012). "Rotimi Babatunde Wins the 2012 Caine Prize for African Writing for 'Bombay's Republic'". Books Live. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  34. ^ Alison Flood (3 July 2012). "Rotimi Babatunde wins Caine prize for African writing". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  35. ^ Lekan (8 July 2013). "Tope Folarin wins 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing". The Nation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  36. ^ "Okwiri Oduor wins fifteenth Caine Prize for African Writing". The Caine Prize. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Zambia's Namwali Serpell Wins the 2015 Caine Prize for 'The Sack'". Books Live. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  38. ^ Lindesay Irvine (5 July 2016). "£10,000 Caine prize for African writing goes to Lidudumalingani". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  39. ^ "Lidudumalingani wins seventeenth Caine Prize for African Writing". The Caine Prize. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  40. ^ "SA writer Mqombothi wins £10 000 Caine Prize". Independent Online. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  41. ^ Otosirieze Obi-Young, "Sudanese Poet Bushra al-Fadil Wins the 2017 Caine Prize, Setting Three Records" Archived 25 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Brittle Paper, 3 July 2017.
  42. ^ Osman Mohamed Osman, "Sudanese author Bushra al-Fadil wins Caine Prize" Archived 8 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, KPAX, 4 July 2017.
  43. ^ Lisa Campbell, "Story exploring freedom wins Caine Prize for African Writing", The Bookseller, 4 July 2017.
  44. ^ Otosirieze Obi-Young, "Makena Onjerika Awarded 2018 Caine Prize, Is 4th Kenyan Winner" Archived 25 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Brittle Paper, 2 July 2018.
  45. ^ James Murua, "Makena Onjerika is Caine Prize for African Writing 2018 winner" Archived 29 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine, James Murua's Literature Blog, 3 July 2018.
  46. ^ Caine Prize, "Makena Onjerika wins nineteenth Caine Prize for African Writing", Caine Prize, 2 July 2018.
  47. ^ Katie Mansfield, "Lesley Nneka Arimah wins £10,000 Caine Prize", The Bookseller, 9 July 2019.
  48. ^ "Caine Prize 2020: British Nigerian author Irenosen Okojie". BBC News. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  49. ^ Alison Flood (27 July 2020). "Irenosen Okojie wins the Caine prize for 'stunning' short story Grace Jones". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  50. ^ "AKO Caine Prize: Irenosen Okojie wins with story of Grace Jones impersonator". BBC News. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  51. ^ "AKO Caine Prize: Meron Hadero named first Ethiopian winner". BBC News. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  52. ^ Lauren Brown (18 July 2022). "Kenyan writer Luhumyo wins £10k AKO Caine Prize for 'incandescent' story". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  53. ^ Wadzanai Mhute (18 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo is the 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing Winner". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  54. ^ Chukwuebuka Ibeh (18 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo is the 5th Kenyan to Win the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  55. ^ James Murua (19 July 2022). "Idza Luhumyo wins AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 2022". James Murua's Literature Blog. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  56. ^ Sarah Shaffi (18 July 2022). "Caine prize goes to 'incandescent' short story by Idza Luhumyo". The Guardian.
  57. ^ "The Caine Prize for African Writing". The Caine Prize for African Writing.

References

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