The CANEX Prize For Publishing In Africa has announced the longlist for its inaugural edition.
The 13-strong longlist was compiled after evaluating 85 titles from 45 publishers across 10 African countries. Submissions were received in English, Portuguese, Swahili and French, and showcased the great diversity of voices and stories that make up African publishing.
The books on the CANEX Prize longlist include:
- The Presidents…From Mandela to Ramaphosa, leadership in the age of crisis, Richard Calland and Mabel Sithole (Penguin Random House SA)
- Pure Or, Miss Fatou Sy (La Case des Lucioles)
- Widows wear lipstick: Coping with grief and finding meaning after a loss, Martha Kyoshaba Twinamasiko (Leap Book Publishers)
- The beautiful side of the moon, Leye Adenle (Ouida Books)
- Female Fear Factory: Decoding the Cultures of Violence in Patriarchy, Pumla Dineo Gqola (Cassava Republic Press)
- The animal past of the lion of Africa, Sandra Swart (Jacana Media)
- Sanya, Oyin Olugbile (Masobe Books)
- Avenues By train, Farai Mudzingwa (Cassava Republic Press)
- Paperless, Buntu Siwisa (Jacana Media)
- When we were fireflies, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Masobe Books)
- Peaches and smeets, Ashti Juggath (Modjaji Books)
- Half an hour Hara, Ugo Anidi (Kachifo)
- African odyssey of a Lebanese emigrant … A kind of autobiography, Habib Jaafar (Bookcraft)
The Canex Prize For Publishing is a partnership between CANEX Book Factory and Nigerian publisher Narrative Landscape Press Limited. The CANEX Book Factory, a core activity under the CANEX programme, aims to promote a vibrant literary culture across Africa and support the development of a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector.
The publisher of the best trade book will receive a $20,000 prize. Trade books refers to books published for a general audience, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and excludes textbooks and academic books. In addition, four finalists will each receive a $2,000 cash prize.
The shortlist will be announced in September and the winner will be announced at CANEX WKND, which will be held in Algiers from 16 to 19 October.
