On Thursday, the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature unveiled the eleven playwrights contending for the $100,000-star prize in a statement.
The genre in focus is Drama.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG to promote and reward excellence in writing, rotates yearly amongst four literary categories of prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.
The 11 plays on the longlist are Dance of The Sacred Feet by Ade Adeniji; Gidan Juju by Victor S. Dugga; Grit by Obari Gomba; Home Coming by Cheta Igbokwe; The Boat People by Christopher Anyokwu and The Brigadiers of a Mad Tribe by Abuchi Modilim.
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Others are The Ojuelegba Crossroads by Abideen Abolaji Ojomu; The Spellbinder by Bode Sowande; When Big Masquerades Dance Naked by Olubunmi Familoni; Where Is Patient Zero by Olatunbosun Taofeek; and Yamtarawala – The Warrior King by Henry Akubuiro.
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The Chair of the Panel of Judges presented the list to the Advisory Board for this year’s prize, Ameh Akoh, a professor of Drama and Critical Theory at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State.
Other panel members include Osita Ezenwanebe, a professor and Rasheedah Liman.
Judges remark
In their report, the judges stated that the longlist consisted of plays that unravel profound themes.
The judges also added that the playwrights’ ability to breathe life into their characters and narratives is a testament to their profound insight into the human experience.
Accepting the recommended longlist, the Board’s chairperson, Ms Adimora- Ezeigbo, commended the judges for the thorough exercise of picking the best of the entries for 2023.
She said the longlist of 11 manifested the relentless scrutiny and unwavering dedication invested in the pursuit of true dramatic excellence by the judges.
She also commended the playwrights on the longlist, adding that they have emerged as beacons of distinction in the annals of the literary world in Nigeria.
Other members of the Advisory Board are Olu Obafemi and Ahmed Yerima, both professors.
The judges will also continue adjudication on the 13 entries for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, which runs concurrently with The Nigeria Prize for Literature.
Diverse themes
The judges will also continue adjudication on the 13 entries for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, which runs concurrently with The Nigeria Prize for Literature.
The literary criticism prize carries a monetary value of $10,000.
A shortlist of three is expected in September. The Advisory Board will announce the winner in October.
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