Nadia Davids’ short story, Bridling, was selected as the winning work.
By Hope Ibiale
South African writer, Nadia Davids, has been announced as the winner of the 2024 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Her short story, Bridling, was selected as the winning work. Davids will receive a £10,000 cash prize and Bridling will be featured in the 2024 Caine Prize Anthology, Midnight in the Morgue and Other Stories.
The other shortlisted authors, Tryphena Yeboah, Samuel Kolawole, Uche Okonkwo, and Pemi Aguda will also receive £500 and their works will be featured in the anthology.
While speaking about Davids’ Bridling, the chair of judges, Chika Unigwe, described the short story as “an impressive achievement, a triumph of language, storytelling and risk-taking”. “It embodies the spirit of the Caine Prize, which is to celebrate the richness and diversity of short stories by African writers”, she added.
Other members of this year’s jury include Zimbabwean writer, scholar, and filmmaker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu; Sierra Leonean poet, artiste, and filmmaker, Julianknxx; South African Hip-Hop artiste, Tumi Molekane, and Ghanaian writer, Ayesha Harruna Attah.
Nadia Davids is a writer, theatre-maker, and scholar. Her plays have been staged throughout Southern Africa and in Europe. Her work has appeared in The American Scholar, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Zyzzyva Magazine amongst others. She is also the President Emeritus of PEN South Africa.
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award created to bring African writing to a large audience. The award was named in honour of Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker Plc. In addition to awarding outstanding African writers, the AKO Caine Prize also connects African writers through public events and the Caine Prize writers’ workshop.