ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, February 26, 2021
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Cornell university promotes African writing with a prize

Cornell university promotes African writing with a prize

byPremium Times
November 22, 2014
2 min read
ADVERTISEMENT

The Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, a major new award, was announced Friday, November 21, at the Ake Art & Books Festival in Abeokuta.  The prize recognizes excellent writing in African languages and encourages translation from, between and into African languages.

Renowned author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, a Board member, said that the Mabati-Cornell prize is a “major intervention in the struggle for writing in African languages, for their place and visibility in the global sun of literary imagination.  Prizes have generally been used to drown African Literature in African languages under a Europhone flood.  With the Mabati-Cornell prize the dreams of Diop, A.C. Jordan, Obi Wali and others are very much alive. I hope that this prize becomes an invitation for other African languages to do the same and much more.”

Over 140 million people speak Kiswahili in Eastern and Southern Africa; Kiswahili is also one of the official languages in Kenya and Tanzania. The Prize will be awarded to the best unpublished manuscripts or books in Kiswahili published within two years of the award year across the categories of fiction, poetry and memoir, and graphic novels. First prize winners receive $5,000 in the categories of prose and poetry; second prize in any genre is $3,000 and third prize is $2,000.

The winning entry will be published in Kiswahili by East African Educational Publishers (EAEP) and the best poetry book will be translated and published by the Africa Poetry Book Fund. Award ceremonies will be held at Cornell University, and in Kenya and Tanzania. The four prize winning writers will spend a week in residence at Cornell and a week at an additional partner institution.

Cornell English professor Mukoma Wa Ngugi, prize co-founder, said the prize recognizes that all languages are created equal and no one language should thrive at the expense of others. “But beyond that recognition, the Prize sets an historical precedent for African philanthropy by Africans and shows that African philanthropy can and should be at the center of African cultural production.”

Sarit Shah, director of Prize sponsor Mabati Rolling Mills, Kenya, said that “supporting literature and literacy is crucial to the development of a thriving culture, and Mabati Rolling Mills is proud to provide financial support for the foundation of a new venture in African language publishing. The new prize for Kiswahili Literature seeks to reward East African writers, artists and thinkers who, through their work, encourage literacy at all levels of East African society.  We believe it is vital to reconnect the world of ideas with the practical world of business and commerce.”

Literary critic Lizzy Attree, who co-founded the Prize with Mukoma, noted that while there exist international literary prizes for African writing such as the Caine Prize and the recently established Etisalat Prize, there are no major international and Pan-African literary prizes awarded to works produced in an African language. “The Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize makes an important contribution to the body of world literature; the establishment of this new literary prize sets a precedent for other literature in African languages to follow.”

Laurie Damiani, Director of International Initiatives at Cornell University’s Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs said they are pleased to co-sponsor this exciting new initiative, as part of Cornell’s commitment to diverse global society.  “It is an honor to be part of an effort that promotes vibrant literary traditions and encourages meaningful interaction between the peoples of East Africa,” she said.

The Prize is primarily supported by Mabati Rolling Mills of Kenya (a subsidiary of the Safal Group), the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs at Cornell University and the Africana Studies Center at Cornell University.

RelatedNews

UPDATED: Zenith Bank becomes Nigeria’s biggest bank by asset

What would Lagos without Victoria Island look like?

Kenya’s public debt surges by $11.8 billion in 2020

Nigeria’s COVID-19 infections exceed 100,000

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: To advertise here . Call Willie +2347088095401...


JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (2)
premiumtimes



PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

No Order to Arrest Tambuwal – NSA

Next Post

“What the world must do to stem Nigeria’s looming electoral violence”

Premium Times

Premium Times

More News

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

2023: ‘Young professionals’ donate N10m for Tinubu presidency

February 26, 2021
A back view of Samuel Akinbodewa, the 77-year-old father of the detained woman and his two grandchildren.

Lagos govt moves to free woman jailed six years without trial

February 26, 2021
Ekiti State University

Court orders Ekiti State University to reinstate 85 sacked workers

February 25, 2021
National primary health care development agency, NPHCDA.

COVID-19: NPHCDA to train 100,000 health workers ahead of vaccine arrival

February 25, 2021
President Muhammadu Buhari receives new EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa [PHOTO CREDIT: @BashirAhmaad]

Buhari meets new EFCC Chair at Aso Villa

February 25, 2021
Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission – NIPC

NIPC management denies allegations by protesting staff

February 25, 2021
Next Post
NEW VIDEO: Rivers Lawmakers Beat Up One Another With Assembly Mace

"What the world must do to stem Nigeria's looming electoral violence"

Oil workers threaten strike over alleged anti-labour practices at FTZ

Falling Oil Prices: Avoid anti-workers cost-cutting policies, PENGASSAN tells employers

Discussion about this post

Search

#EndSARS: Latest Updates




Polaris Bank


JAIZ Ad


NITDA Ad





Glo Ad

Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,625,365 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert

Zenith Advert
ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
    • Dubawa NG
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.