THE  NOMA AWARD FOR 
PUBLISHING IN AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICAN WRITER WINS 2008 NOMA AWARD FOR STRIKINGLY ORIGINAL COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES

The Noma Award for Publishing in Africa announces that Zachariah Rapola has won the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 2008 for his collection of short stories Beginnings of a Dream. The book was published in 2007 by Jacana Media, South Africa.

The Jury’s citation reads:

“A strikingly original collection, the first story “Beginnings of a Dream” is a gem, absorbing, imaginative, and simply stunning. Whilst rooted in the township, it connects heavily in the private and inner lives of the characters and their preoccupations with the invisible experiences of their lives, thoughts and dreams. The story derives its power and authority not from the invocation of reality but its focus on that which is unreal but persistently imaginable. The notion of the dream and its significance, steeped in a compelling sense of unreality, is developed through the collection, with extraordinarily atmospheric writing, and remarkable simulation of women’s voices. The surreal landscape is at the same time firmly rooted in African belief systems. This location of most of the stories in the interior world of its characters makes thoughts and memories central to an understanding of the cultural geography of the township.”

Zacharia Rapola is a freelance writer and filmmaker born and raised in Alexandra, Johannesburg. The National Arts Council of South Africa awarded him a fellowship to the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program in 2000. In 2001 his widely acclaimed youth novel Stanza on the Edge was published, and he is currently developing a television series based on the novel. His short stories and poetry have been published in magazines and anthologies, and he has also written for a BBC/SABC comedy series.

The Noma Award, under the auspices of UNESCO, will be presented to Zachariah Rapola at a special ceremony details of which will be announced later.

40 publishers from 10 African countries, submitted titles in 6 languages for the 2008 competition. The Jury singled out a further three titles for Special Commendation, and three titles for Honourable Mention. The list is attached.

The Noma Award Jury is chaired by Walter Bgoya from Tanzania, one of Africa’s most distinguished publishers, with wide knowledge of both African and international publishing. The other members of the Jury in 2008 were: Professor Simon Gikandi, Robert Schirmer Professor of English at Princeton University; Professor Peter Katjavivi, Chairman of the National Planning Commission in the Government of Namibia, and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia; and Mary Jay, Secretary to the Managing Committee (the Jury). The Award is sponsored by Kodansha Ltd, Japan.

For further information about the Award, please contact:
Mary Jay, Secretary to the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, PO Box 128, Witney, Oxon OX8 5XU, UK. 
Tel: +44-(0)1993-775235 Fax: +44-(0)1993-709265 
Email: maryljay@aol.com www.nomaaward.org 

Special Commendation
(alphabetical by publisher)

The Role of the Supreme Court in the Development of Constitutional Law in Ghana by Seth Y. Bimpong-Buta
Accra: Advanced Legal Publications, 2007
An outstanding contribution to the legal literature on Africa, filling a void. The 1992 Constitution represented a watershed in Ghana, with the Supreme Court the key institution. This examination of the contribution of the Supreme Court is both important, and a work of considerable scholarship, giving a critical analysis of judicial decisions with rigorous examination of a wide range of cases.

Die Windvanger [The Windcatcher] by Breyten Breytenbach
Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, 2007
A very fine collection of poetry from a master of Afrikaans. Dealing with the power of love and a strong theme of human mortality, he makes supreme use of existing texts, such as the Bible. Through his use of metaphor, he makes a new language in which words are associated in a totally fresh way.

Through the Darkness. A Life in Zimbabwe by Judith Garfield Todd
Rivonia: Zebra Press, 2007
A brave, committed and emotionally engaged personal account of the years of Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe since 1980. The author, a liberal from Matabeleland, imprisoned in 1972, was and is a participant in opposition to Mugabe’s leadership. This eye-witness account of Zimbabwe’s politics is an illuminating chronicle of Zimbabwe’s tragedy. 

Honourable Mention
(alphabetical by publisher):

Une flamme dans le noir [A Flame in the Dark] by Ansomwin Hien
Ouagadougou: Editions Découvertes du Burkina, 2007
A subtle literary novel, the complex story reflects a multifaceted world of conflict: tradition and modernity, the intellect and the spiritual, individualism and community, and between the African and other experience. The story of the complicated life of a creative young woman is an imaginative literary composition written in fine style.

Le loup du petit chaperon rouge en Afrique [The Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, in Africa]
by Fatou Keita
Illustrated by Les Studios Zohoré
Abidjan: Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes/Centre d’Edition et de Diffusion Africaines (CEDA), 2007
The big bad wolf of Little Red Riding Hood fame is in hiding in Europe. So he decided to travel and find pastures new for his wicked ways – in Africa. There a young African girl transforms his character with her kindness. Very well-written and original in the concept of taking a well-known story to the next stage in a new setting.

Retold, Retouched. Three Tales of the Tortoise by Segun Sofowote                    
Lagos: Pyramind Unit Publishers, 2007
Three well-known stories from the African oral tradition. The writer, a true-story teller, creatively reaches out to the audience in an interactive mode which he calls “dramalogue”. Exciting and a unique device, the instrument of communication is a narrator and the evocation of the sounds of a drum and their interpretation into languages.

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