Iskanchi Press has announced the winner for the inaugural Iskanchi Book Prize and it is Senegalese writer, Aminta Dupuis for her book, The Child From Dindefello Falls, as translated by Marybeth Timmermann.
Aminta is a literature professor, a poet, and musician. Inspired by her own experiences of sorrow and outrage in the face of injustice, as well as wonder and adoration for the beauty of the African continent, she gives voice to the Senegalese people in this novel and offers her Western readers a key for greater understanding and compassion towards their African brothers and sisters.
Iskanchi Press is a US-based publishing house for African writing. They believe stories and ideas convey humanity to the future and that progress to an egalitarian world is sooner achieved when all perspectives are heard and considered.
Iskanchi’s mission is to promote authentic African perspectives through a variety of African books, including fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature written in, or translated into, English. They aim to redress the negative presumptions about Africa, satisfy the reader’s interest in diverse expressions, and serve the needs of African immigrants and minorities interested in seeing a more nuanced representation of their experiences.
Aminta’s award-winning book, The Child From Dindefello Falls, will be published by Iskanchi Press in the Fall of 2025.
Congratulations Aminta on this remarkable achievement!
Click here to read our past article on the journey to winning the prize.
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
