Kenya: Crowning Moment as Kenyan Author Takes Home Caine Prize

The late Ghanaian BBC journalist Komla Dumor, in a TED Talk titled Telling the African Story, asked: "What story should one tell?" While acknowledging the existence of wonderful success stories on the continent at a time when the world was awash with "Africa rising" narratives, Dumor pointed out the obligation that storytellers have, of ensuring a balance of stories and telling tales of suffering as well.

Kenya's Makena Onjerika, winner of this year's Caine Prize for African Writing, seems to follow Dumor's advice in her winning short story, "Fanta Blackcurrant". Makena, who was picked from a shortlist of five - mostly drawn from Nigeria - won for a story that was first published in the 2017 spring issue of the literary journal, "Wasafiri". The award comes with a 10,000 pound sterling cash prize, translating to about Sh1.32 million.

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