Congratulations to Makena Onjerika, winner of the 2018 Caine Prize for African Writing, with her short story Fanta Blackcurrant.
In a ceremony held last night at Senate House, in Bloomsbury, Kenyan writer Makena Onjerika was announced as the winner of Africa's leading literary award, and is the recipient of the £10,000 prize.
The Chair of the Caine Prize judging panel, Ethiopian-American novelist and writer Dinaw Mengestu, said of Onjerika: "the winner of this year's Caine Prize is as fierce as they come - a narrative forged but not defined by the streets of Nairobi, a story that stands as more than just witness. Makena Onkerika's Fanta Blackcurrant presides over a grammar and architecture of its own making, one that eschews any trace of sentimentality in favour of a narrative that is haunting in its humour, sorrow, and intimacy".
Watch this space for the announcement of the ROSL Readers' Award soon, which will see who of the shortlisted finalists for this year's Caine Prize commissioned to write a short story for a future edition of the Overseas journal, based on your votes. Voting has now closed and the winner will be announced shortly.
