In 2021, for the third year, in partnership with the Institut Français, the Orange Book Award in Africa will enable a large audience in Africa and France to discover new gems of African literature.
Working in 18 countries in Africa, the Orange Foundation aims to support these countries with their development, including in the area of culture.
Recognition of literary talent in Africa
The Orange Book Award in Africa reflects our desire to promote talented African authors and encourage the local publishing industry.
In 2021, the Award will go to a novel or collection of short stories written in French by an African author and published by a publisher based on the African continent. To qualify, the books must be published between 1 October 2019 and 30 September 2020. In view of the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 crisis, publishers that did not apply for the 2020 edition may submit works published between 1 January 2019 and 30 September 2020.
Publishers can put forward up to three books before 30 September.
Six novels will be shortlisted by six reading committees based in Tunisia, Senegal, Guinea, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. The list of finalists will be communicated in late February 2021.
The jury, chaired by novelist and university lecturer, Véronique Tadjo, is made up of authors, literary critics and renowned personalities from the literary world. It is tasked with choosing a winner from among the six finalists. The winner will be announced in early June 2021 at a ceremony held in a capital city in Africa. In addition to a cash prize of €10,000, the winner will also benefit from a marketing campaign to promote his or her work.
More details and information on how to participate can be found on the website lecteurs.com
Winners of the Orange Book Award in Africa
The first winner of the Award in 2019 was the Cameroonian author Djaïli Amadou Amal, for Munyal, les larmes de la patience, published by Proximité. The author, who campaigns against social discrimination and the situation of women in the Sahel, deals with issues including domestic violence in polygamous marriages and the struggle for the empowerment of women in the Sahel and in Africa.
First published in Cameroon by Proximité, in early 2020 Munyal, les larmes de la patience benefited from a pan-African co-publishing agreement with 8 publishers. In September 2020, the novel was published in France by Emmanuelle Colas under the title Les impatientes.
In 2020, Moroccan author Youssouf Amine Elalamy won with his novel C’est beau, la guerre. In this book, a young actor embarks on a rafiot, forced into exile, driven out of his country by a fratricidal war. Placed in a refugee camp after the crossing, to relieve the pain of the migrants, he decides to resurrect the dead… Originally published in Morocco by Le Fennec, this book was published in France by Au diable vauvert.