Isaacoed Buchi Jamie was declared the winner of the Libretto African Anthology Prize 2022 on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
The Libretto African Anthology of Nonfiction/Essay Prize is a literary prize from Nigerian publishers Libretto Publishers. The inaugural edition focuses on creative Nonfiction by writers of African descent, and will be published in both print and digital formats.
The jury panel for 2022 comprised Dhee Sylvester, Isiaka Abubabkar Eazy, D.M. Aderibigbe, and Tendai Rinos Mwanaka. They announced the longlist for the prize on Sunday, March 27 before the shortlist was revealed on Sunday, April 17.
The winner was announced on Sunday as Symptoms of Hardship by Isaacoed Buchi Jamie.
According to the jury, “The story tells of the grim struggle with poverty and the helplessness that comes with it. Symptoms of Hardship relies on dialogue and action to show us the story, and it impressed us much more in the artful use of language to beautify the narrative rendering breadth and depth to the narrative.”
Isaacoed Buchi Jamie is a writer, poet, social activist, thought leader, mentor, and lover of words and ideas. He helps individuals who have; an impactful message, transformative stories, and intentional zeal, to gain clarity, and share their ideologies. He’s the founder of Be First African Initiative (BFAI), a non-profit organization based in Abuja, Nigeria. BFAI focuses on harnessing the strength and potentials of young minds for the purpose of transforming them into agents of positive change and impact.
Jamie responded to the announcement with the tweet, “Wow! Am super excited! Thank you so much @librettong for this great opportunity. Congratulations to all of my fellow contestants/writers. We all did it!”
He receives a cash prize of ₦30,000 or its equivalent in dollars.
