AKO Caine Prize judges hail ‘staggering feast’ of entries as shortlist named

The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing has announced its 2022 shortlist, with a “staggering feast” of entries praised by chair of judges Okey Ndibe for their “vibrancy, variety and splendour”. 

This year’s shortlist was chosen from a record 349 short story entries submitted from 27 countries, marking a 130% increase in submissions compared to 2021. The five shortlisted authors are Nigerian writer Joshua Chizoma for Collector of Memories, Nana-Ama Danquah from Ghana for When a Man Loves a Woman, Hannah Giorgis of Ethiopia for A Double-Edged Inheritance, Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo for Five Years Next Sunday and Billie McTernan from Ghana for The Labadi Sunshine Bar.

They were selected by Nigerian author and award-winning journalist Ndibe, French-Guinean author and literary scholar Elisa Diallom, South African podcast host and literary practitioner Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane, London-based Nigerian visual artist Àsìkò Okelarin and Kenyan Book Bunk co-founder Angela Wachuka.

Brooklyn-based independent press Akashic Books published Danquah, Giorgis and McTernan’s stories, while Afritondo and Catalyst Press made the list for the first time with Chizoma’s Collector of Memories — shortlisted for the 2021 Afritondo Short Story Prize — and Luhumyo’s Five Years Next Sunday — which won the 2021 Short Story Day Africa Prize.

Johnny Temple, publisher at Akashic Books, said: “We couldn’t be more honoured to have three stories shortlisted for the prestigious AKO Caine Prize from two outstanding anthologies in our Akashic Noir Series—Accra Noir edited by Nana-Ama Danquah and Addis Ababa Noir edited by Maaza Mengiste.” 

Confidence Uwazuruike, editor of Afritondo, added: “We are absolutely delighted that Joshua Chizoma’s short story has been shortlisted for the 2022 Caine Prize. Part of our motivation for founding Afritondo was to offer a platform to share Africa’s literary voices and stories with the world. We look forward to sharing even more African voices and building stronger ties with the Caine Prize to amplify these voices, both within and outside the continent.”

Each writer shortlisted for the prize receives £500 and the winner gets £10,000. The result will be announced at a ceremony held at the V&A Museum in London on 18th July. The ceremony coincides with the Africa Fashion exhibition. The 2022 AKO Caine Prize award ceremony is the final event in a UK tour for the shortlisted authors.

Stops include a partnered event with The National Centre for Writing and the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and, in London, Candid Book Club and independent bookshop Libreria. All of the shortlisted writers will be published in The AKO Caine Prize Anthology alongside stories written at the AKO Caine Prize Workshop, held this year in Ghana.