Gaafar, MaShandu Cele and Jesudubami Jemima shortlisted for the Island Prize

Aganaba Jesudubami Jemima, Reem Gaafar and Andile MaShandu Cele have been shortlisted for the Island Prize 2023 for a début novel from Africa.

The prize, which was launched in 2022 by indie publisher Holland House in partnership with Karavan Press and author Karen Jennings, and won in its inaugural year by Sarah Isaacs, aims to give unpublished African writers from the continent and its diaspora the opportunity to showcase their work to a wider audience.

The prize organisers define the term “African writers” as authors born in or having citizenship of any African country. 

Nigerian author Aganaba Jesudubami Jemima is shortlisted for Bobo Hamham, a Nigerian story told through the eyes of three children and their devastating encounters with terrorism.

Sudanese author Reem Gaafar is shortlisted for A Mouth Full of Salt. Its synopsis reads: “During the search for a drowned boy in the north of Sudan, a strange woman appears and with her a series of strange and tragic events. Animals die of a mysterious illness; the date tree field catches fire and burns to the ground; a young girl dies. The women in this story are trapped in a gender and racial hierarchy, with ingrained bigotry blaming all change in society on evil outside forces.”

Also on the shortlist is South African author Andile MaShandu Cele for Braids and Migraines, in which siblings Bhutiwakhe and Nomandla Mkhize are faced with yet another crisis in their lives: this time, Nomandla has been expelled from a prestigious school in KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, where she is currently doing her final year. Bhutiwakhe is 10 years older than Nomandla and has for the past four years played a parental role in his sister’s life. It is described as a story of family, mental health and a brewing movement.

The winner will win £500, with £200 for each runner-up, and extensive editorial support for the winner and shortlisted writers. Of last year’s shortlist, the winner already has a UK agent as a direct result of the prize, and three books have been offered publishing contracts.