Moraa will receive Kshs 100,000, Raji, 50,000 and Abrahams, the sum of 25,000.
By Editor
At the award ceremony in the TAS TV studios in Thika, Kenya, Kenyan writer, Scholastica Moraa, has been announced as the winner of the 2022 Kendeka Prize for African Literature for her short story, “Chained.”
The Kendeka Prize, founded by Kenyan writer, Andrew Maina, rewards, annually, an outstanding piece of short fiction or creative nonfiction. The prize is aimed at encouraging writers of African descent to write more, and is run by an Advisory Board chaired by James Murua, and comprising Tom Odhiambo, Muthoni wa Gichuru, Mercy Kiragu, Patrick Gatobu, William Mureithi, Lucas Wafula, and Andrew Maina.
Nigerian writer, Adaoro Raji, was announced as the first runner-up for her story, “Star Boy,” and Zimbabwean writer, Beverley Ann Abrahams emerged as the second runner-up for her story, “Isithunzi.”
The winning entries were selected by judges such as Siphiwo Mahala (South Africa), Bisi Adjapon (Ghana), and Faith Oneya (Kenya) who noted in their statement that, “The wide range of themes, narrative styles and imagery tells of a continent undergoing a literary revolution. Scholars might not have coined a suitable name for it as yet, but these new voices are redefining the African literary tradition in their own terms.”
From a longlist of ten African writers, a shortlist was announced on September 15th, 2022.
Moraa will receive Kshs 100,000, Raji, 50,000 and Abrahams, the sum of 25,000.
Moraa is the author of a collection of poems, Beautiful Mess. Her short story, “6 Days to Twenty” was longlisted in the 2021 Kendeka Prize for African Literature. Her fiction has appeared in Arlington Literary Journal, Midnight and Indigo Literary Journal, The Coachella Review, and The Bookends Review.