Recognising Jewels of African Literature

On February 13, 2018, Ali Hilal Ali and Dotto Rangimoto, two authors from Tanzania were awarded the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature (fiction and poetry categories respectively) for the year 2017.

The award was founded by Dr. Lizzy Attree (Director, Caine Prize) and Prof. Mukoma Wa Ngugi (Cornell University) in 2014 with an aim to recognize writings in African languages and encourage more translation from, between and into African languages. It considers the best-unpublished manuscripts, or books published within two years of the award year across the categories of poetry, fiction, graphic novels, memoirs and graphic novels. The winners are not only awarded a cash prize but their entries are also published in Kiswahili by Mkuki Na Nyota Publishers and East African Educational Publishers (EAEP). Africa Poetry Book Fund also publishes the English translation of the best poetry book.

Dotto Rangimoto, who was awarded for his poetry titled, “Mwanangu Rudi Nyumbani” started writing in secondary school but for the longest time maintained an aversion to publicly displaying his work. It was social media that helped him overcome his inhibitions and seeing the response of the audience, he started to use the platform to showcase his work.

A poem he wrote about the tragic accident of the Lucky Vincent school bus struck a chord with the audience and was read by more than 1.5 million people. The poem won him the honor, “Mwanangu Rudi Nyumbani” that traverses the harsh challenges in front of youth that travel to Dar es Salaam in search of better job opportunities. The panel applauded and praised Rangimoto for his mastery of the craft and for discussing heavy issues in an appealing and absorbing manner.

A graduate from the Institute of Finance Management (IFM), Ali Hilal Ali had also begun writing in middle grade but never took his talent seriously. Similar to Rangimoto’s case, social media provided the much-needed push and platform for Hilal’s works.

After publishing his first story online, it was evident to Hilal that his work had an appeal to a wider audience and that subsequently led him to publish his works both online and offline. Although Hilal’s winning entry, “Mmeza Fupa,” is set on an imaginary island; it clearly represents the issues in the contemporary African continent. Commending Hilal’s nuanced mastery of artistic language, the panel remarked that his work has opened a new door in Kishwahili Literature.

Language and culture are closely knit together and the extinction of one facilitates the other. With globalisation, it has become important to preserve, promote and reform languages of different cultures. Awards like the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize provide such languages the much-needed recognition and the exposure necessary to keep them alive.

Resources:

Gregory, Salome. “Authors honoured for Kiswahili masterpieces.” The Citizen, 6 Feb. 2018, www.thecitizen.co.tz/magazine/success/Authors-honoured-for-Kiswahili-masterpieces/1843788-4293368-j2mi0t/index.html.

“THE MABATI-CORNELL KISWAHILI PRIZE FOR AFRICAN LITERATURE 2017 WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT.” Cornell University, kiswahiliprize.cornell.edu/.