2 Nigerian authors made prize shortlist

Tope Folarin, the Nigerian author, who won the Caine prize for African writing in 2013 and was named as one of the most promising African writers under 39 in 2014, is one of five writers shortlisted for this year’s award.

The other Nigerian shortlistee is Lesley Nneka Arimah. Her writing defies generic category—a mashup of scifi, fantasy, and speculative fiction.

The other African writers who made the list include Zimbabwean writer Bongani Kona, South African Lidudumalingani, and Somalian/Kenyan author Abdul Adan.

The five shortlisted stories were chosen from 166 submissions, representing 23 African countries.

Chair of judges, the writer and academic Delia Jarrett-Macauley, said there had been an increasing number of fantasy and science fiction stories submitted this year, also noting a “general shift away from politics towards more intimate subjects – though recent topics such as the Ebola crisis were being wrestled with”.

South African Lidudumalingani is a Cape Town filmmaker with a stunningly beautiful Instagram page. It’s worth checking out.

The Zimbabwean shortlistee, Bongani Kona, is pursing a masters in creative writing at the University of Cape Town and writes for Chimurenga.

Abdul Adan, one of the founding members of Jalada collective—a group of young visionaries doing amazing things with African literature. He represents both Somalia and Kenya.

All five writers are now in the running for the £10,000 prize, which will be awarded on July 4 at one of the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford.

The Caine Prize was first awarded in 2000. Today, it is recognized as a leading African literary institution.

Read the 2016 Caine prize shortlist:

The Lifebloom Gift by  (Somalia/Kenya)

What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by  (Nigeria)

Genesis by  (Nigeria)

At Your Requiem by (Zimbabwe)

Memories We Lost by Lidudumalingani (South Africa)

READ: Angolan José Eduardo Agualusa is the only African author on Man Booker International Prize shortlist