Migritude was first coined by Kenya Poet and human rights activist Shailja Patel. The concept involves people who leave one space to another for whatever reason be it political, economical or otherwise. The concept has been seen of late quite a bit in literature of people from this continent with both Chimamanda Adichie (Americah) and Noviolet Bulawayo (We need new names) recently unleashing novels about Africans emigrating to the United States.
It looks like this is the wave to watch as the Caine Prize for African literature 2013 was announced last night as Nigeria’s Tope Folarin was announced winner at a dinner held at the Bodleaian Library in Oxford, United Kingdom. Folarin’s story Miracle, set in Texas, USA, in an evangelical Nigerian church where the congregation has gathered to witness the healing powers of a blind pastor-prophet. Religion and the gullibility of those caught in the deceit that sometimes comes with faith rise to the surface as a young boy volunteers to be healed and begins to believe in miracles.
The writer beat out 96 entrants from 16 countries to win the prize and receive £10,000.
Speaking at the prize ceremony, the Chair of Judges, Gus Casely-Hayford said, “Tope Folarin’s ‘Miracle’ is another superb Caine Prize winner – a delightful and beautifully paced narrative, that is exquisitely observed and utterly compelling”.
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[…] most noticeable of the shortlistees however is Nigerian Tope Folarin who won the Caine Prize in 2013 for his well-received story Miracle centered around a church in the Nigerian community in the USA. […]
[…] Folarin burst onto the African literary scene when he won the Caine Prize for African Writing 2013 for his short story Miracle. Apart from his second Caine Prize shortlist in 2016, he has also been […]
[…] EC Osondu (2009), Olufemi Terry (2010), NoViolet Bulawayo (2011), Rotimi Babatunde (2012), Tope Folarin (2013), Okwiri Oduor (2014), Namwali Serpell (2015), Lidudumalingani […]
[…] The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is awarded annually to an African writer published in English for a short story. The prize has recognised some of the most famous writers working today like Leila Aboulela, Helon Habila, Yvonne Adhiambo Owour, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and many more. In recent times, winners of the prize have been Irenosen Okojie (2020), Lesley Nneka Arimah (2019), Makena Onjerika (2018), Bushra al-Fadil (2017), Lidudumalingani Mqombothi (2016), Namwali Serpell (2015), Okwiri Oduor (2014), and Tope Folarin (2013). […]