New Kiswahili science fiction award charts a path for African languages

Mukoma Wa Ngugi, associate professor of literatures in English, was quoted on the Kiswahili Prize in The Conversation article, "New Kiswahili science fiction award charts a path for African languages:"

"The 6th edition of The Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is back. Founded in 2014, the prize recognises writing in African languages and encourages translation from, between and into African languages. Kiswahili is widely spoken across the east coast of Africa. This year’s prize also offers a special award designed to promote and popularise a Kiswahili vocabulary for technology and digital rights. We spoke to the prize founders – literary academic Lizzy Attree, also of Short Story Day Africa, and literature professor and celebrated author Mukoma Wa Ngugi – on the challenges of growing literature in African languages."

Read the full article here.

The prize shortlist will be announced in October/November 2021, with the winners announced in Dar es Salaam in December 2021.

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