The judges include Dr Wale Okediran, Edwige-Renée Dro, and Ashraf Aboul-Yazid.
By Hope Ibiale
The Canex Book Factory who are the organisers of the Canex Publishing Prize has revealed the judges for its 2024 edition. The judges include Nigerian author, Dr Wale Okediran, Ivorian writer and essayist Edwige-Renée Dro, and Egyptian poet, novelist and journalist Ashraf Aboul-Yazid.
The judges will present a longlist of ten publishers in August, followed by a shortlist of five finalists in September. A $20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book at the CANEX WKND in Algiers this October. The remaining four finalists will each receive $2,000 in prize money.
Dr Wale Okediran serves as the Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA). An accomplished author, he has published 14 novels, many of which are part of the reading curriculum in various Nigerian universities. In 2010, he co-founded the Ebedi International Writers Residency in Iseyin, Oyo State, the first of its kind in Nigeria.
Edwige-Renée Dro is a writer, literary translator, and literary activist from Côte d’Ivoire. Her short stories and essays have been widely anthologised. Her interests lie in exploring linguistic justice via various English and French-spoken variations in Africa.
Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, also known as Ashraf Dali, has been a significant figure in cultural journalism for over 30 years and has authored and translated around 40 books. His literary works have been translated into multiple languages, including Korean, Turkish, Persian, English, Sindhi, Spanish, and Malayalam.
The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa is a part of the CANEX Book Factory. The CANEX Book Factory is an annual programme of events of the Creative Africa Nexus initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). It is designed to spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through the prize, a Pan-African writing workshop, and an e-newsletter highlighting African literature. This year’s program will culminate in an Award Ceremony at the CANEX WKND in Algiers, Algeria, between 16-19 October, 2024.