10 WRITERS SHORTLISTED FOR THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SHORT STORY PRIZE
By Wole Adedoyin
The organizers of the African Human Rights Short Story Competition have announced the shortlist of exceptional entries for the recently concluded International Human Rights Short Story Competition. The competition aimed to promote human rights values in Africa and positively influence the improvement of the human rights situation on the continent.
The shortlist was selected from 20 longlisted entries by Ugochukwu Anadị. Ugochukwu Anadị is an avid reader and writer. Anadị's fiction, poetry, and prose have been published by reputable platforms such as Afapinen, ANA Review, Afreecan Read, Afritondo, Africa in Words, Brittle Paper, Conscio Magazine, Kalahari Review, and Isele Magazine, among others. He currently serves as the Book Review Editor at Afreecan Read and has been longlisted for the Africa@2050 Climate Fiction Contest. Anadị's fiction was also named a finalist for the Ikéngà Prize for Short Story. In 2020, he won the IHRAF's Nelson Mandela Peace Prize for the best essay on Human Rights in Africa. He is currently engaged in critical reading of African Literature and qu*er Studies.
The winners of the African Human Rights Short Story Writing Competition will be announced on June 22, 2023. The first-place winner will receive a prize of $100 (endowed in hour of Late Steve Biko Prize), the second-place winner will receive $75 (endowed in honour of Late Prof. Pius Adesanmi Prize), and the third-place winner will receive $50 (endowed in honour of Binyavanga Wainaina Prize).
Below is the complete shortlist:
1. "At the End of the Rainbow" by Olusoji Obebe
2. "Bobina" by Stephen Adinoyi
3. "Caught in the Web" by Martha Shigaba
4. "Gloom" by Idise Efemena Perpetual
5. "Heaven" by Patience Bello Peterson
6. "The Head Breaker" by Testimony Odey
7. "Uncut" by Nasiru Munirat Ozohu
8. "Untold Woes" by Elizabeth Aduragbemi Akinmutola
9. "Water Maid" by Victor Damilola Garuba
10. "You Are a Criminal" by Chukwu Sunday Abel
The African Human Rights Short Story Competition is an initiative of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF), based in the USA, with the aim of promoting and supporting the realization of human rights in Africa.