The judges met recently to decide on the four new Morland Writing Scholars for 2019. This was another record year for entries with almost 700 submissions.
The 2019 Morland Writing Scholars are:
Gloria Mwaniga Odari – Kenya
Hawa Jande Golakai – Liberia
Nnamdi Oguike – Nigeria
Parselelo ole Kantai – Kenya
The winners each receive a grant of ₤18,000 to allow them to take a year off to write a book. The awards are based on submissions which include a book proposal and an excerpt of published writing.
Miles Morland commented, “This year’s winners are a brilliant group. I’m happy that all four are living in Africa, not the diaspora, and will be writing books about Africa. Their books have challenging themes very much in tune with the current world. We had a new panel of judges this year with Muthoni Garland stepping up to be the Chair, and being joined by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, and Otosirieze Obi-Young. Every one of the short list of twenty was discussed in depth before they made their decision. We are lucky to have three judges who are so closely in touch with African writing.”
Here are Muthoni’s comments on the 2019 Scholars reflecting the views of her and the judging panel.
“The winners of the 2019 Scholarships impressed us with their ambitious and confident exploration of some key themes troubling and shaping our continent. Varied in approach and style, they include a grand social history, a futuristic epic, an immigrant story, and a nuanced family portrait. What they promise in common is persuasive storytelling, coherent world building and insightful characters.
Gloria Mwaniga Odari – Kenya
Following an act of religious cult extremism, a displaced rural girl comes of age in Where the Bougainvillea Blossoms, an intimate portrayal of family that explores the themes of patriarchal and cultural control of women bodies and lives.
Hawa Jande Golakai – Liberia
Speculative fiction of soaring imagination featuring a tightly controlled underwater city of glass in a future mecca for black people in West Africa. Inspired by Liberia, the ebola virus and pending environmental disaster, the proposed novel, Spectral is a terrifying examination of the tensions between freedom and social order.
Nnamdi Oguike – Nigeria
Set in South Africa and Nigeria, Toy Shop is a funny and tender exploration of the bonds of love in a family tested by xenophobic violence and complicated multicultural family ties.
Parsalelo ole Kantai – Kenya
Parselelo will write an important and urgent exploration of the unprecedented nexus of revolutionary intellectuals and artists from multiple African countries, identities and periods that coalesced in Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam in the Revolutionary Age is potentially a zeitgeist work of non-fiction of great historical significance, centred in Africa but set in a global context.”
Miles added to Muthoni’s comments: “We are proud and happy that our Writing Scholarships have come to occupy a unique position in Africa’s literary universe and, as Muthoni says, this year’s new Scholars will write books that speak of Africa and could only come from that continent. Our goal has always been to focus attention on the unique breadth and energy of African writing. This year’s winners will do that brilliantly
