Tanzanian writers to feature in this years CAINE Prize Anthology

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa @CarolAnande-Instagram @CarolAnande-Facebook @CarolAnande-Twitter

Last year's shortlisted writer Abdul Adan from
Kenya/Somali; reading an excerpt of his story
published in last year's Caine Prize 
short story anthology titled
 'The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things'

“I think all three things are concerned with telling a story, there’s never a point where I have to think of photography, filmmaking and writing in different ways for me it’s all about the narrative… but again you don’t have to do these things to be influenced by them. I mean if you’re not making films you’re watching films…” 

Liduddumalingani-filmaker, writer & photographer from SA; answering a question on how he juggles his three professions and whether they influence each other in output. 

The Director of the Caine Prize
Dr Lizzy Attree giving a few words 
to initiate the evening events

We’re at an intimate gathering  on a Saturday night as we welcome April, under the makuti thatched terrace inside CDEA offices in Dar es Salaam. http://www.cdea.or.tz With writers brought together by the Caine Prize for African Writing. Many of whom had just completed a writers workshop hosted by the prize in Bagamoyo for two weeks. 

The participants of this workshop http://caineprize.com/tanzania-2017/ included, Cheryl Ntumy (Botswana/Ghana), Daniel Rafiki (Rwanda), Darla Rudakubana (Rwanda), Agazit Abate (Ethiopia) with Esther Karin Mngodo, Lydia Kasese and Zaka Riwa from Tanzania. 

Some of the applicants of the Caine Prize 
this year, who attended the workshop 
by the Prize in Bagamoyo late last 
month left Darka Rydajyvaba 
and extreme right Agazit Abate 

“I think to add onto what Zaka said uhmn the two weeks we had, were actually really great for me especially because I hadn’t really had this kind of experience before…We were first advised to put all our thoughts on paper, then edit as you go along. We actually were given a lot of freedom and time to write as much as we could. And then towards the end of every other day we would sit back and read each other’s story, critique each other…” 

Darla from Rwanda shares what she took from the workshop sponsored by Caine Prize. Facilitated by Elise Dillsworth-literary agent, co-founder of the Diversity in Publishing Network and Mohammed Naseehu Ali the-Ghanaian author of short stories, Professor of Creative Writing at New York University.

Lesley Nneka Arimah the shortlisted
 writer for last year's Caine Prize, 
from Nigeria here reading
her short story at CDEA grounds recently  

The workshop which is part of the annual workshops hosted by the prize, ensures its participants procure a short story each. Which then goes on to be featured in the prize’s annual anthology. Published by New Internationalist in the UK, Interlink in the US and publishers in seven African countries including Kwani from Kenya, FEMRITE from Uganda and Mkuki na Nyota from Tanzania.

The Director of CDEA 
the host for the evening 
Mme Ayeta Wangusa 
welcoming her guests

On this night sponsored by Zan Securities, we were gathered to hear excerpts from last years anthology ‘The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things’.http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-56656-016-0 Read by the authors themselves, three of them in particular who were shortlisted for the prize last year. That included the winner Lididumalingani from South Africa, Abdul Adan from Somali/Kenya and Lesley Nnekka Arimah from Nigeria.

Vivid scenes accompanied the readings of these stories, some standing out in their haunting narratives, like the work of Bongani from Zimbwabwe read by Abdul Adan.

Well known author in Tanzania, 
Mr Richard Mabala
at the reading session 
hosted by CDEA recently

“I loosen the grip of my arm around your neck. And the sound of my careless words-'You’ve always been a weak son-of-a-bitch, a mommy’s boy fade, like a fog scorched by the heat of the sun. And there you stand, whole , restored.”-At your Requiem

Also the winning story from Lidudumalingani left it’s emotive mark; “The first thing this thing took from her, from us was speech and then it took our memories…They had looked everywhere at least they had claimed. They were worried about not finding my sister or annoyed at being woken in the middle of the night - I could not tell” - Memories We Lost

Winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing 
2016 Lidudumalingani reciting an 
excerpt of his winning short story 
from Caine's anthology
'The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things'

What made this reading session even more interesting was the bold move from the organisers, to have the read excerpts translated into Kiswahili. Here Mr Richard Mabala and Elias Mutani took on the translating task. 

“For me I think it was rather a challenge, cause I’m an old man and I realise there’s a whole new generation of writers, which I need to learn a lot from. When it comes to this kind of writing, I mean for example the first word you see-‘life bloomer’ uuuh! Who do you translate as life bloomer?!!” Mr Mabala remarks on the hurdles encountered in translating these excerpts.

It’s a beautiful thing that two Tanzanian women writers will be featured on this year’s anthology, from the Caine Prize which has been running for eighteen years now. With these short stories currently titled 'My Mother's Project' by Lydia Kasese https://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/wiathi/african-poetry-nyachiro-lydia-kasese/and 'The Godess of Mtwara' by Esther Karin Mngodo https://tz.linkedin.com/in/estherkarinmngodo.

Audiences present at the reading session 
includingDaniel Rafiki (blue shirt) 
chosen writer from Rwanda
for this year's 
Caine Prize writers workshop
that happened in Bagamoyo, TZ 

I caught up with them to learn more of what they took from the experience “Networking and meeting other writers was a highlight for me…” Lydia spills, on working with literary mentors and writing a short story within two weeks, that would be published internationally, she adds. “It was a very intense process…every other day we had to read out the progress of our story to a whole bunch of people, your story would change along the way...It all kind of got me to take myself more seriously as a writer.”

Miss Lydia Kasese, one of the 
Tanzanian writers present 
at this year's writers
 workshop sponsored by 
Caine Prize, she'll be
featured in Prize's annual
anthology this year

Esther Mngodo  had much of the same sentiments on being chosen for the workshop. “I was really happy to be picked, the opportunity to spend two whole weeks just concentrating, on writing a short story was a first for me. Also to be among these writers who all genuinely wished to improve each other’s work was very encouraging…”

Miss Esther Mngodo, one of the
 Tanzanain writers who was present 
at this year's Caine prize workshop
in Bagamoyo. Her story 
will be featured in this year's
Caine Prize anthology

The current anthology from the Caine Prize published late last year ‘The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things’; is available in outlets of TPH bookstores in Tanzania, as well all outlets of Kwani Publishers in Kenya & FEMRITE books in Uganda. Through Caine’s website & amazon you can purchase it online. http://caineprize.com/anthologies/ https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Assortment-Astonishing-Things-African/dp/1566560160
http://ethicalshop.org/the-daily-assortment-of-astonishing-things-and-other-stories-the-caine-prize-for-african-writing-2016.html