Pacella Chukwuma-Eke has emerged as the winner of the maiden edition of the Abuja International Poetry Festival (AIPFest) Grand Slam competition, receiving the prestigious Efe Paul Azino Prize for 2024.
The event took place on 16 November 2024, where Pacella triumphed over 15 other talented finalists to claim the grand prize of ₦500,000.
The inaugural AIPFest, curated by Nasara Creative, marks a significant cultural milestone with support from partners such as The African School of Economics and the Abuja Literary Society. The festival highlights the evolving landscape of poetry, intellectual property, and the digital economy, offering a crucial platform at a pivotal time for the art form.
This year’s festival, themed “AfroFuturism and Digital Culture,” explored what it means to be an African poet in the era of digital transformation. Events held across various venues in Abuja celebrated the intersection of art and technology, affirming that magic happens where the two converge.
Congratulations, Pacella Chukwuma-Eke!
Read more about the prize HERE.
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.
