Launched in October 2019, the Orange Book Prize in Africa selects a novel written in French by an African author that was published between 1 November 2018 and 30 October 2019 by a publisher based on the African continent. For this 2nd edition of the prize, 38 novels were entered by 28 publishing houses based in 14 different countries.
Discover the 6 finalist novels
An initial selection of titles was made by six reading committees based in Tunisia, Senegal, Guinea, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. After deliberations in Paris, the six novels selected for the final of the Orange Book Prize in Africa are:
- Abdellah BAÏDA, Testament d’un livre, Editions Marsam (Morocco)
- Ndèye Fatou Fall DIENG, Ces moments-là, L’Harmattan Sénégal (Senegal)
- Youssouf Amine ELALAMY, C’est beau, la guerre, Editions Le Fennec (Morocco)
- Mostefa HARKAT, Le retour au Moyen Age, Editions AFAQ (Algeria)
- Ahmed MAHFOUDH, Les jalousies de la rue Andalouse, Arabesques éditions (Tunisia)
- Paul-Marie TRAORE, Jeu de dames, Editions Tombouctou (Mali)
All these books represent the diversity and wealth of African literature. Why not read them yourself?
Next step: the final panel!
The final panel of literary personalities will choose a winner from among the six finalists. This winner will be awarded the Orange Book Prize in Africa, on 4 June in Tunis. They will receive 10,000 euros and have a campaign organised to promote their book.
Chaired by Véronique Tadjo (Côte d’Ivoire), it has 10 members: Djaïli Amadou Amal (2019 winner, Cameroon), Yvan Amar (France), Kidi Bebey (France), Yahia Belaskri (Algeria), Eugène Ebodé (Cameroon), Valérie Marin La Meslée (France), Nicolas Michel (France), Gabriel Mwènè Okoundji (Congo) and Mariama Ndoye (Senegal).
This initiative is one of the commitments of the Orange Foundation in Africa to support the countries in their development, including in the cultural sphere, and to promote new African literary talent and local publishing within this framework.