Kiswahili award charts path for African languages

Author Mukoma wa Ngugi [File, Standard]

The sixth edition of The Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, suspended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is back.

Founded in 2014, the prize recognises writing in African languages and encourages translation from, between, and into African languages. We spoke to the prize founders – literary academic Lizzy Attree, also of Short Story Day Africa, and literature professor and celebrated author Mukoma wa Ngugi (pictured)– on the challenges of growing literature in African languages.