Fiston Mwanza Mujila announced Winner of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature

 Fiston Mwanza Mujila

Poet and novelist Fiston Mwanza Mujila was on Saturday, 19th March 2016 announced as the winner of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature for his first novel, Tram 83. Originally written in French, Tram 83 was translated into English by Roland Glasser and published by Deep Vellum. 35-year-old Mujila is the first Francophone writer to win the prestigious Etisalat Prize, the first ever pan-African prize that celebrates debut fiction books by African authors.

Fiston Mujila was announced winner by the Chair of judges, Ato Quayson, at the award ceremony held at Intercontinental Lagos Hotel, which was broadcast live on Hip TV and viewed by over 30 million people across Africa. The event was also live-streamed on the internet.

Mujila was presented with a £15,000 cheque, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück and an Iphone 6S. He will also have the opportunity to attend the Etisalat Fellowship, worth £13,000, at the prestigious University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, under the mentorship of Professor Giles Foden.

A father introduces his newborn daughter to books, how inspiring!

Hello everyone,

Over the weekend, I read a very inspiring open letter on bookriot.com about a father who began to introduce his newborn daughter of barely 4 months to books. While suggesting authors to her, he recommended our very own Chinua Achebe amount others.

This story was especially inspiring because it portrays a fathers love and worry of wanting to equip his daughter about the realities of life and how books can help her understand the world better.

See the open letter below for your reading pleasure.

Enjoy!

Dear Matilda,

It’s your dad here. The one without the milk.

Please excuse this decidedly old fashioned way of communicating. Letters are rather passe even now. No doubt by the time you’re old enough to read this you’ll probably be communicating via holographic kitten emojis beamed directly between brain implants.

I want to be straight with you. So far in our three month relationship I haven’t actually felt like a parent. I’ve always thought parenting meant imparting wisdom to you, like Atticus to Scout. All I feel I’ve imparted is fresh nappies and a firm tap on the back during 3am burping sessions.

Winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature 2015 to be unveiled March 19

Hello Literary Lovers,

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.