The Director, Brands & Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Ogiemwanye in this interview speaks on why the telecoms company initiated the Etisalat Prize for Literature among several other innovative platforms that promote creativity and talent development not just in Nigeria, but across Africa. Excerpts:
Etisalat Prize for Literature is focused on promoting first-time African writers, why is this so?
One of our major goals at Etisalat is to promote and nurture talent which we have done very well through several platforms such as Nigerian Idol, Easy Business Millionaires Hunt, Etisalat Prize for Innovation, Employee Volunteering Scheme, Merit Awards; and the Etisalat Prize for Literature is one of such platforms to nurture talents around Africa and promote the writing and literary culture.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is in its third year, are you satisfied with the impact you have made so far in that space and the quality of the winning authors?
Yes we are satisfied with the quality of entries from publishers across the globe. The shortlisted writers in the three editions of the Etisalat Prize are a true representation of Africa’s rich literary talent and beyond that; the entry dynamics has been quite commendable. The shortlists have a balanced gender mix with writers from both Anglophone and Francophone countries in Africa. The most recent winner of the Etisalat Prize, Fiston Mujila is from DR Congo and his winning book ‘Tram 83’ was originally written in French. So you can see that the dynamics of the Etisalat Prize for Literature is very broad and we are very pleased by that. I must also note that the Etisalat Prize has been consistent with its objectives and by this has gained the support and trust of the African literary community.
To what extent do you think the Prize can help develop interest in African Literature?
The activities of the Etisalat Prize for Literature go beyond receiving entries and announcing the winners. There is lot of activities built around the annual events that stimulate the African literary space in so many ways. Activities such as book tours which engage literary enthusiasts in tertiary institutions across Africa. Last year, the Etisalat Prize for Literature played a significant role at the 2015 Ake Arts and Book Festival in Nigeria. Early this year, the shortlisted writers for the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature had book tours to Durban, South African and Lagos, Nigeria. The shortlisted writers showcased at the 19th Time of the Writer organized by Centre for Creative Arts, University KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. They also participated in a book presentation as the City of Durban Library; this was followed by a book reading at the city’s foremost bookstore called Ike’s Books. All these happened before the book reading in Lagos at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. In June, 2016 the shortlisted writers will be in Kenya for a variety of literary activities. They will have book readings at the University of Nairobi and Daystar University, Nairobi; they will participate in a panel discussion at the Goethe Institute, Nairobi along with the Winner of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Swahili Literature. There are also a number of activities such as book readings and a creative writing workshop planned to engage Kenya’s literary network. So notwithstanding the Award Event, there are a lot of activities spawned by the Etisalat Prize for Literature to promote African literature.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is in two categories: the Debut Fiction Book Category and the Flash Fiction Category. What inspired your organization to create a category for flash fiction writers?
We are a mobile telecoms company and we know that our youths are on the go; they are active and we also want to give them an opportunity to experience African literature by Flash Fiction wherein they can write, read and share on social media using their mobile devices. So by promoting flash fiction, we are putting African literature in more hands via more channels beyond paperback. If you are on the go and you don’t have time to read a full book but you want to get into African literature, you can just read a short flash fiction story. This way, we can help develop interest in African literature. So the essence is to encourage budding writers and on-the-go reading.
Going by the performances of previous winners and shortlisted writers, how well has the Etisalat Prize done to launch budding writers into limelight?
First of all, the winner gets a cash prize of 15,000 British Pounds which is part of our support towards his or her career. The winner also gets a fellowship at the University of East Anglia under the mentorship of Professor Giles Foden, the author of The Last King of Scotland. The fellowship also offers a good opportunity for them to start work on their next book. Then the winner and other shortlisted writers go on Etisalat sponsored book tours which gives them significant exposure to the African literary community. So far, the three winners of the Etisalat Prize are doing great in their careers; the first winner of the Etisalat Prize, NoViolet Bulawayo, after winning the Prize in 2013, also won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2014 among other accolades. She has begun work on a memoir project. Bulawayo sits on the Board of Trustees of Writivism which is a very impactful African organisation that seeks to harness the abilities of African writers and artists to use African narratives to cause change in their societies. So she has been doing very well in the literary space and using her influence to drive positive change across Africa.
The winner of the second edition, Songeziwe Mahlangu is currently working on his second book which he started while at the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia.
The media often focus on the prize money but what is the true value of winning the Etisalat Prize for Literature?
The essence of the Etisalat Prize goes beyond the prize money; it’s a platform to promote the African literature industry and drive African writers to tell their own stories. And for the winning authors, there are several other benefits most of which I have already talked about earlier.
Can you share some of your plans for the next edition of the Etisalat Prize?
Activities for the 2016 edition of the Etisalat Prize will commence with a press conference in Lagos on the 1st of June 2016, where the call for entries will be announced and the panel of judges for the 2016 edition will be presented. I had also mentioned earlier that the third book tour will hold in Nairobi, Kenya in June, 2016 and we have a very robust plan of activities. Later in the year there will be a book reading in Lagos.
