Isele Magazine has announced the winners of the 2024 Isele Prizes among whom are Erinola Daranijo (Nigeria) and Gloria Mwaniga (Kenya) in the poetry and non-fiction categories respectively. Erinola Daranijo (Nigeria) won with his poems “Three Poems” while Gloria Mwaniga (Kenya) won with her essay “A Few More Words About Breasts”.
Isele Magazine describes Daranijo’s “Three Poems” as:
“Erinola Daranijo’s poems on resistance bring us hope. His poems resonate with a remarkable intensity, capturing the essence of resilience, defiance, and the relentless pursuit of justice. The poems capture the electrifying energy of the protesters and the hope that drives them despite the constant threat of violence and suppression.”
Of Mwaniga’s A Few More Words About Breasts, Isele Magazine says:
“Gloria Mwaniga chronicles her fascinating journey through puberty to adulthood. She recalls her amazement at the changes in her body, particularly with her breasts, and how this transformation initially rang like betrayal to her young mind because of the shame it stirred, the limitations it appeared to enforce, and the intrusive attention it drew. She became intensely aware of the heaviness of language, how quickly words and gestures take on new meanings, especially when associated with matters of the body.”
Gloria Mwaniga Odary is a Kenyan writer, educator and columnist for the Daily Nation and The EastAfrican. She is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Writing Workshop in Nigeria. In 2019, she was awarded a Miles Morland Writing Scholarship, and in 2022 her story “Boyi” was awarded the inaugural African Land Policy Centre Story Prize. Her story was subsequently included in Finding Ground and Other Stories: ALPC Anthology of Short Stories on Land in Africa. Her work has appeared in The Johannesburg Review of Books and The White Review.
Erinola Daranijo is a poet and avid reader based in Ibadan, Nigeria. His favourite themes include elements of Nigerian culture, love, loss, and grief. He takes influence from literary greats like Chinua Achebe and J.P. Clark. His works, which have received great acclaim, have been published in magazines like Brittle Paper, the Hooghly Review, the Kalahari Review, Auroras and Blossoms, amongst others.
Congratulations Mwaniga and Daranijo!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
