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ETISALAT PRIZE FOR LITERATURE: FISTON MWANZA MUJILA ANNOUNCED WINNER OF THE 2015 ETISALAT PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

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Poet and novelist Fiston Mwanza Mujila was on Saturday, 19th March 2016
announced as the winner of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature for his first
novel, Tram 83. Originally written in French, Tram 83 was translated into
English by Roland Glasser and published by Deep Vellum. 35-year-old Mujila is
the first Francophone writer to win the prestigious Etisalat Prize, the first
ever pan-African prize that celebrates debut fiction books by African authors.

Fiston Mujila was announced winner by the Chair of judges, Ato Quayson, at
the award ceremony held at Intercontinental Lagos Hotel, which was broadcast
live on Hip TV and viewed by over 30 million people across Africa. The event
was also live-streamed on the internet.
Mujila was presented with a £15,000 cheque, an engraved Montblanc
Meisterstück and an Iphone 6S. He will also have the opportunity to attend the
Etisalat Fellowship, worth £13,000, at the prestigious University of East
Anglia, United Kingdom, under the mentorship of Professor Giles Foden.
Born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1981, Mujila studied
Literature and Human Sciences at Lubumbashi University. He now lives in Graz,
Austria and is pursuing a PhD in Romance Languages. He has won many accolades
for his writing, including the Gold Medal at the 6th Jeux de la Francophone in
Beirut as well as the Best Text for Theater (State Theater, Mainz) in 2010. His
writings are a response to the socio-political turbulence of post-independence
Congo.
Tram 83 is the first novel by a DR Congo writer to be translated into
English in over two decades. The novel centres around Lucien, an idealistic
writer sucked into the dystopian world of his friend, Requiem, a gangster who
reigns supreme in the outrageous, extravagant and glamorously debauched
nightlife of a secessionist City-State. The Tram 83 of the title is a nightclub
that forms the heart of the crumbling city, in which Requiem and a cast of
colourful characters feast.
The judging panel for the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature was chaired by
Ato Quayson, Professor of English and inaugural Director of the Centre for
Diaspora Studies at the University of Toronto. The panel also comprised writer
and editor, Molara Wood; and Zukiswa Wanner, author of Men of the South and
London Cape Town Joburg.
The distinguished Patrons of the Etisalat Prize are: noted writer Ama Ata
Aidoo (Ghana); Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Dele Olojede (Nigeria); Former
deputy editor of Granta magazine and former senior editor at Jonathan Cape,
Random House, Ellah Allfrey, OBE (UK, Zimbabwe); writer and scholar, Kole
Omotoso (Nigeria); Editor, writer, broadcaster and co-founder of Allison &
Busby, Margaret Busby, OBE (UK/Ghana); and novelist, poet and playwright, Zakes
Mda (South Africa).
At the award ceremony on the 19th March, 2016 the Chief Executive Officer
of Etisalat Nigeria Matthew Willsher, said, “We are delighted again to
celebrate the richness and strength of African literature. Etisalat Prize for
Literature bears out this year’s theme, ‘Representing the Diversity of African
Voices’. Diversity is somehow wonderful in its own right, but its importance is
not for its intangible beauty, it is that diversity is a huge source of
innovation. Africa’s diversity is increasingly recognised as it brings new
approaches to world literature while innovation is very important in the
literary world.”
In line with its vision of promoting up and coming writers, Etisalat will
sponsor a book tour to three African cities. The Etisalat Prize also aims to
promote the publishing industry at large and will therefore purchase 1000
copies of shortlisted books for donation to schools, book clubs and libraries
across Africa.
In attendance at the award ceremony were notable personalities including:
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State and Commissioner of Education, Dr. Idiat
Adebule (represented by her Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olusola Yinka Ayandele);
Commissioner of Science and Technology of Lagos State, Femi Odubiyi; Hon. Femi
Gbajabiamila, Majority Leader, Federal House of Representatives;  Professors Femi Osofisan and Ahmed Yerima
(playwrights); Prof. Remi Raji (poet), Dr. Frank Edozien; thespians Taiwo
Ajai-Lycett, Genevieve Nnaji and Bimbo Akintola; and members of Etisalat
Nigeria Board, Prof. Isabella Okagbue and Junaid Dikko. Performances were by
singers K. Peace, Darey Art-Alade and Asa.
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