A few days ago I mentioned here that there is a poetry festival about to hit Kampala, Uganda in a few weeks. The festival, the Babishai Niwe Poetry Festival was started initially as the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award popularly known as the BN Poetry Award which is the only poetry prize on the African continent. Seriously, its the only that I know of. Last years winner was Tom Kip Jalio.
Those in the running for this years glory were unveiled with a long list that includes writers from the usual suspects in African literature (read Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa). The only name that jumps up at me is Ugandan Nick Makoha who won the Brunel Africa Poetry Prize earlier this year. The others are;
- Femi Morgan (Nigeria)
- Femia Nkansa (Ghana)
- Nick Makoha (Uganda)
- Arinze Ifeakandu (Nigeria)
- Lua Davis (Cameroon)
- Salawu Olajide (Nigeria)
- Ann Waruguru Kiai (Kenya)
- Emmanuel Okom (Nigeria)
- Samuel Oluwatobi (Nigeria)
- Babatunde Fagbayibo (Nigeria)
- Mugabi Byenkya (Nigeria/Uganda)
- Chiuga Veronica Akaolisa (Nigeria)
- Nick Makoha (Uganda)
- Edidiong Bassey (Nigeria)
- Kelvin Kaesa (Kenya)
- Eseza Nabaggala (Uganda)
- Redscar Mc Odindo K’Oyuga (Kenya)
Ayeyemi Taye (Nigeria) - Kitumba John Mary (Uganda)
- Ama Asantewa Diaka (Ghana)
- Adaeze M. Nwadike (Nigeria)
- Richard Otwao (Uganda)
- Danica Kreusch (South Africa)
- Esther Karin Mngodo (Tanzania)
- Efe Tokunbo (Nigeria)
- Adhiambo Agoro (Kenya)
- Adeeko Ibukun (Nigeria)
- Nyanduaki Okongo Omare (Kenya)
- Sanya Noel (Kenya)
- James Yeku (Nigeria)
- AbdulKareem (Nigeria)
- Redscar McOdindo K’Oyuga (Kenya)
- J.K Anowe (Nigeria)
- Annette Mumbi (Kenya)
- Samuel Oluwatobi Olatunji (Nigeria)
- Adelaja Ridwan Olayiwola (Nigeria)
- Edith Nakku-Joloba (Uganda)
- Babajide Michael Olusegun (Nigeria)
- Michael Ochoki (Kenya)
To read the poems from the longlisted poets please click here.
6 replies on “BN Poetry Award 2015 longlist unveiled”
Nice one Mr literature.
You have a good blog here.
Power packed contents too.
And thanks for sharing the news of our longlist. You are such a kind heart.
Thanks Adelaja. And good luck. You’ll need it with the calibre of poets you are up against.
Blushing…
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