Senegalese Duo Win Caine Prize for Fantasy-Horror Story

Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo, a Senegalese writing duo, have won the prestigious Caine Prize for African writing for their short story, A Soul of Small Places.

Diallo is a lawyer and feminist activist, and Diene is a Franco-Senegalese American humanitarian and writer. This marks the first time a pair has won the award since it began in 2000 and is the first time that Senegal takes top honours.

Diallo was inspired by her own experiences to write a story that explores themes of violence, revenge, love, and loss. Diene often blends elements of horror, social issues, and local beliefs in his work, and "A Soul of Small Places" is an example of his preferred genres.

The judges described Diallo and Diene's winning story as "tender and poetic," but also a "harrowing and infuriating tale."

The Caine Prize includes a cash prize of U.S.$12,000 and publication of the winning work in the 2023 Caine Prize anthology. The award, presented to the best short story by an African writer in English, received a record-breaking 297 entries from 28 different countries in the current year. It aims to promote African writing to a broader audience and past winners include notable authors such as Nigerian novelists Helon Habila and Tope Folarin, Zimbabwean novelist NoViolet Bulawayo, and Zambia's Namwali Serpell.