Out Of Africa: CANEX Prize For Publishing In Africa Unveils Longlist

The CANEX Prize For Publishing In Africa has announced the longlist for its inaugural edition.

The 13-man longlist was curated after assessing 85 titles from 45 publishers across 10 countries in Africa. Submissions were received in English, Portuguese, Swahili, and French, showcasing the rich array of voices and stories that define African publishing.

The books on the CANEX Prize longlist include:

1. The Presidents…From Mandela to Ramaphosa, Leadership the Age of Crisis, Richard Calland and Mabel Sithole (Penguin Random House SA)
2. Reine Or, Miss Fatou Sy (La Case des Lucioles)

3. Widows Wear Lipstick: Navigating Grief and Finding Meaning After Loss, Martha Kyoshaba Twinamasiko (Leap Book Publishers)

4. The Beautiful Side of the Moon, Leye Adenle (Ouida Books)

5. Female Fear Factory: Unravelling Patriarchy’s Cultures of Violence, Pumla Dineo Gqola (Cassava Republic Press)

6. The Lion’s Africa’s Animal Past, Sandra Swart (Jacana Media)

7. Sanya, Oyin Olugbile (Masobe Books)

8. Avenues By Train, Farai Mudzingwa (Cassava Republic Press)

9. Paperless, Buntu Siwisa (Jacana Media)

10. When We Were Fireflies, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Masobe Books)

11. Peaches and Smeets, Ashti Juggath (Modjaji Books)

12. Half Hour Hara, Ugo Anidi (Kachifo)

13. African Odyssey of a Lebanese Emigrant…An Autobiography of Sorts, 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 key intervention under the CANEX programme, aims to promote a vibrant literary culture across Global Africa and encourage the development of a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector. 

A $20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. “Trade books” refers to books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and excludes textbooks and academic books. Additionally, four finalists will each receive $2,000 in prize money.

The shortlist will be announced in September, and the winner will be announced at CANEX WKND scheduled to take place at Algiers from 16-19 October.