Nigerian writers miss out on Caine Prize shortlist

Skill, confidence and ambition characterise the five stories shortlisted for this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing. Chair of the panel of judges for the 2010 award, Fiammetta Rocco, made the observation when the shortlist was announced on Monday, April 26, 2010.

Each hailed for possessing “an added dimension - a voice, character or particular emotional connection- that makes it uniquely powerful. The stories were selected from 115 entries received from 13 African countries.

Despite boasting last year’s winner in E.C. Osondu’s “Waiting,” no Nigerian writer made this year’s shortlist. Nigerian authors Helon Habila (Waiting for an Angel) and Segun Afolabi (Monday Morning) previously won in 2001 and 2005 respectively. This makes Nigeria the most successful country so far in the Caine Prize, as the one with the most number of winners. South Africa already has two winners, and may improve on the tally this year, as it has two writers on the 2010 shortlist.

South African authors Ken Barris and Alex Smith make the list with ‘The Life of Worm’ and ‘Soulmates’ respectively. They are joined on by Kenyan Lily Mabura (‘How Shall we Kill the Bishop’), Zambian Namwali Serpell (‘Muzungu’) and Olufemi Terry from Sierra Leone who completes the shortlist with his short story, ‘Stickfighting Days.’

Literary editor with The Economist, Rocco chairs a panel of judges comprising Granta Deputy Editor Ellah Allfrey (who recently taught an editor’s workshop in Lagos); Jon Cook, a professor at the University of East Anglia, and Georgetown University professor Samantha Pinto.

The 2010 Caine winner goes home with a £10,000 cash award and has the chance to be a ‘Caine Prize/Georgetown University Writer-in-Residence’ during a one-month residence at Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Several well known Nigerian writers have been previously shortlisted for the Caine Prize, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who went on to great acclaim with her award winning second novel, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’. Others include Oprah Book Club selected author, Uwem Akpan; and Chika Unigwe (author of ‘On Black Sisters’ Street’).

Previous winners include: Zimbabwean author of ‘Harare North’ Brian Chikwava, Ugandan Monica Arac de Nyeko for her short story, ‘Jambula Tree’; and maverick Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina.

The Caine Prize for African Writing was instituted in honour of Michael Caine, former chair of the Booker Prize Management Committee. Chinua Achebe and a Nobel Laureate-trio of Wole Soyinka, J.M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer are patrons of The Caine Prize.

This year’s winner will be announced on Monday, July 5 during an award dinner at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK.