How Jowhor Ile emerged first Nigerian to win Etisalat Prize for Literature
Since its inception in 2013, no Nigerian has won the Etisalat Prize for literature which has gone to which has previously gone to a Zimbabwean, a South African and a Congolese writer.
But that story changed last weekend when Jowhor Ile became the first Nigerian writer to win the prize when his novel And After Many Days was announced winner at a grand ceremony at Lagos’s Federal Palace Hotel, carting home the cash prize of £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, among several other rewards.
Ile won the prize, which is for first time writers, ahead of fellow Nigerian, Julie Iromuanya with her novel, Mr and Mrs Doctor and South Africa’s Jacqui L’Ange, author of The Seed Thief.
Ile’s announcement followed the unanimous selection of his book by the judging panel for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature chaired by multiple awardwinning novelist and poet, Helon Habila.
Habila, while congratulating the winner and the runners-up, disclosed that the prize-winning book met the required standards of originality, creative excellence and African sensibility, in keeping with the objective of the Etisalat Prize, which is to promote literary excellence in Africa.
Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, congratulated the winner and the runners-up, and restated the company’s commitment to continuously offer Nigerians and other Africans the best platforms to express their passion and creativity.
“From the outset, our vision at Etisalat has been to support innovation, creativity and talent development. This is why we have stayed focused on creating platforms that enable people, not only to communicate and stay in touch with one another, but also to express their individual creative abilities in all forms of science and arts,” he said.
Born in 1980 and raised in Port Harcourt, Ile took to writing early and has had his short stories published in McSweeney’s Quarterly and Litro Magazine. His 256-page novel, And After Many Days, set in the oil rich Port Harcourt, tells the story of a family whose 17-year old son and sibling, Paul Utu, goes missing during the rainy season of 1995. Burdened with the sudden loss, the family is torn apart, as their search for answers uncovers several family secrets.
In addition to the prize money, other rewards for Ile include an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia where he will be mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland. In addition to the prize money, other rewards for Ile include an Etisalatsponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia where he will be mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland.
He and the two runners-up will participate in a multi-city book tour of three African countries also sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria. The sponsors will also purchase 1,000 copies of their books for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across Africa.
Past winners of the Etisalat for Literature include Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila, for his novel, Tram 83, in 2015; South African writer, Songeziwe Mahlangu for his novel, Penumbra, in 2014 and Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo for her novel, We Need New Names, in 2013.