Cassava Republic Press, a Nigerian publishing house, has been named the inaugural winner of the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa for 2024.
The announcement was made at the CANEX WKND 2024 event held in Algiers, Algeria, where Cassava Republic was honoured for their publication of Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence by Pumla Dineo Gqola. The award, which celebrates excellence in African publishing, comes with a $20,000 prize.
According to a press statement issued by Afreximbank, Female Fear Factory was recognised for its striking cover design, elegant layout, and reader-friendly text, as well as for its innovative contribution to feminist literature. The book delves into how patriarchal society fosters violence against women, offering both a sobering account of this violence and a hopeful outlook on feminist work worldwide. Layla Mohamed, Editor at Cassava Republic, accepted the award on behalf of the publishing house.
The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a collaboration between the CANEX Book Factory and Narrative Landscape Press Limited, was created to promote the literary culture across Global Africa and support sustainable business growth within the literary sector. Launched in 2023 at the Intra African Trade Fair (IATF2023) in Cairo, the prize seeks to highlight exceptional African books, particularly those published in indigenous African languages and produced within the continent.
This year, the prize attracted 85 entries from 49 publishers representing a variety of languages, including English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili. The competition was narrowed down to five finalists, who were honoured for their outstanding contributions to African literature.
These included Jacana Media from South Africa, recognised for Paperless by Buntu Siwisa, Kachifo Limited from Nigeria for Half Hour Hara by Ugo Anidi, La Case des Lucioles from Côte d’Ivoire for Reine Or by Fatou Sy, and Masobe Books from Nigeria for When We Were Fireflies by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. Each of the finalists received $2,000 in recognition of their work.
Dr Wale Okediran, Chair of the Judges, noted that the prize reflects the judges’ commitment to recognising books that combine editorial excellence with topical relevance and creativity. He stated, “The judges recognised the selected books as having met the required standard of ‘exceptional work and professionalism.’”
The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, initiated by Afreximbank through the CANEX programme, rewards the best trade book publisher of the year, advancing the development of Africa’s creative industries while fostering economic growth across the continent.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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