Tanzanian novelist Salim Hussein Ng’anzi and Zanzibari poet Ali Hilal Ali have won the Fiction and Poetry categories of the 10th Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, one of Africa’s leading awards dedicated to creative writing in Kiswahili.
Selected from a pool of 230 submissions from seven African countries, Ng’anzi received the Fiction prize for his novel Mwanamkasi Ndio Basi (Mwanamkasi, That’s It!). At the same time, Ali won the Poetry prize for his collection Diwani ya Vizikwa Vya Kale (The Anthology of the Ancient Ruins). Each winner received a cash prize of US$5,000.
In addition to the two top prizes, Dickson Damas Mtalaze was named runner-up in the Fiction category, while Lenard Barnaba Mtesigwa placed second in Poetry.
The prize also recognised Dominic Maina Oigo as the winner of the Short Story Collection category, which was introduced early this year.
Founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree and Dr. Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, the Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature was established to promote original writing in Kiswahili and encourage literary excellence in African languages. Winning manuscripts are published, while selected works also receive translation support to help reach wider audiences. Since it was established, the prize has awarded over $135,000 to writers for both poetry and prose, and more than twenty books have entered the literary marketplace, some of which have been translated into English.
As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, the prize also unveiled two commemorative anthologies, Tunu Mpya and Hazina Mpya, bringing together works by past first-prize winners.
Congratulations, Salim Hussein Ng’anzi and Ali Hilal Ali!
