Announcing The 2017 All-Stars Shortlist For CODE’s Burt Award For African Young Adult Literature

In celebration of International Literacy Day, CODE is delighted to announce its Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature shortlist. This first regional competition is dubbed the All-Stars edition because all of the first prize winners of CODE’s Burt Award in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania since 2009 are being considered for this grand prize.

The All-Stars shortlist is comprised of:

• Face Under the Sea by William E. Mkufya  published by Mangrove Publishers (Tanzania)
• Aiming for the Summit (sequel to Living in the Shade) by Nahida Esmail published by Mkuki na Nyota (Tanzania)
• The Step-Monster by Ruby Yayra Goka published by Digibooks Ghana Ltd. (Ghana)
• The Twelfth Heart by Elizabeth-Irene Baitie published by Kwadwoan Publishing (Ghana)
• Waiting for the Sun by Elshadai Tesfaye published by CODE-Ethiopia (Ethiopia)

A five-member international jury carefully considered all twenty-two first prize-winning titles from previous national Burt Award competitions when selecting the All-Stars shortlist. Chair of the jury Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur (librarian and former Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana) said that the jury’s concern is to “… give young adults books they can identify with, learn from, and enjoy even if they do not originate from their country.” Other members of the jury were Linda Yohannes (Ethiopian author), Waveney Olembo (Senior Lecturer at the Kenyatta University Literature Department, Kenya), M.M. Mulokozi (Professor of Literature, University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania), and Jacqueline Guest (Canadian Métis young adult writer and Member of the Order of Canada).

One All-Stars winning title and one honour book will be announced at an award ceremony on September 29, 2017, hosted by the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) as part of the Nairobi International Book Fair week. The winning author will receive a cash prize of $10,000 CAD and the honour book author will receive $2,000 CAD. Up to three finalists will each receive a cash prize of $1,000 CAD. CODE will make a guaranteed purchase of 12,000 copies each of the winner and honour book and the respective publishers will each receive a $2,000 CAD grant to support the promotion of these titles. The books will be distributed to schools, libraries, community centres, and NGOs in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.

To celebrate their achievements, CODE, together with NBDCK, has organized a series of literary events in Nairobi, Kenya for the shortlisted authors. On September 28, the authors will engage secondary school students, librarians, and teachers in a panel discussion and Q&A at the Storymoja Festival. On September 29, they will be at the front and centre of CODE’s “Read With Me” campaign event at the Nairobi International Book Fair grounds.