I received a mail from Jodie Keyse today telling me that Mukoma wa Ngugi’s short story “How Kamau wa Mwangi Escaped into Exile” has been shortlisted in the 2009 Caine Prize!
“How Kamau wa Mwangi Escaped into Exile” was first published in issue 54 of Wasafiri in the summer of 2008.
I have just finished reading this powerful and evocative short story. Do stop by and read it here:
http://www.caineprize.com/pdf/2009_Ngugi.pdf
Even though this story is set in Africa, as an Indian, I was able to relate to it completely, because apart from the universal issues of war, displacement, human rights violation and the abject pain and agony connected with these things, I found a similarity, a sort of parallel between Kamau’s situation and what is occurring in certain, small pockets of my own country.
The Caine Prize is awarded to a short story published in English by an African writer whose work has reflected African sensibilities. Widely known as the ‘African Booker’, it is regarded as Africa’s leading literary award and is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary. This year there were over 120 entries coming in from 12 African countries.
The nomination continues Wasafiri’s past success with the prize. S.A. Afolabi’s article ‘Monday Morning’, published in issue 41 of Wasafiri, won the Caine Prize in 2006, and Uzor Maxim Uzoatu’s short story ‘Cemetery of Life’ was shortlisted in 2008.
The judging panel this year is chaired by New Statesman Chief Sub-Editor Nana Yaa Mensah, Professor Jon Cook of the University of East Anglia, novelist and Professor Jennifer Natalya Fink, Guardian journalist and author Hannah Pool, and novelist, journalist and bookseller Mohammed Ugar. The £10,000 prizewinner will be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on Monday 6 July.
For further information on Wasafiri, visit www.tandf.co.uk/journals/wasafiri or contact jodie.keyse@tandf.co.uk
Tags: Caine Prize 2009, How Kamau wa Mwangi Escaped into Exile, Mukoma wa Ngugi, Wasafiri
