Eight stories shortlisted for Golden Baobab Prizes
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Eight stories have been shortlisted for this year’s Golden Baobab Prizes.
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Seven by Sabina Mutangadura from Zimbabwe; Rhino by Richard Street from South Africa and What’s going on at 179 Jabulani Street? by Karen Hurt from South Africa are up for the The Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books.
The Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers category has The Little Secret by Fego Martins Ahia from Nigeria and Pieces of Africa by Kanengo Rebecca Diallo from Tanzania competing.
The Golden Baobab Prizes for literature was established in July 2008 to inspire the creation of enthralling African children’s stories by gifted African writers.
A press statement issued in Accra said 180 stories were submitted to this year’s Golden Baobab Prizes. Of these, 25 made it onto the longlist and eight to the shortlist.
Three Ghanaians made it to the longlist. They are Sedem Agbolosu for her story Kwame gets a job and twins Jennifer Sarfo and Freda Sarfo for their stories Songs of the gods and Making a wish respectively.
Chair of judges for the Picture Book Prize, Zetta Elliott, whose first picture book, Bird, won the Honour Award in Lee and Low Books’ New Voices Contest, commented on the shortlist saying, "I'm very impressed with the range and originality of the stories. This year's shortlist suggests that there are plenty of emerging authors who take seriously the task of nourishing the imagination of African children. These stories have magic, mystery, and important lessons about the value of community. They confirm what we already know: Africa's literary landscape is rich and diverse!"
The Golden Baobab Prizes, now in its fifth year, was set up to find the very best writers of African children’s literature. This year’s shortlist suggests that the judges; Bernardine Evaristo, Esi-Sutherland-Addy, Nonikiwe Mashologu, Zetta Elliott, Annette Hansen and Osayimwense Osa, all have varying ideas about what constitutes good fiction for children. This has ensured a very diverse 2013 shortlist.
Osayimwense Osa, founding author of the Journal of African Children’s and Youth Literature (JACYL), is a firm believer in the power of literature.
“It transforms the world from confusion and violence to peace is immense and so it is wise to get children reading in their formative years. They must have access to literature which is in touch with social functions, individual lives, and world realities and some of the stories in the shortlist do just that” he says.
The winners of the 2013 prizes will be announced on November 13.