Finalists announced for Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique, awarded to a book written in French and published by an African author

The six finalists for the Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique have been revealed.

The new prize was announced late last year and will be awarded to a book written in French and published by an African author. Notably, the book is also required to have been published by a local publishing house, ensuring that the work is truly a product of African literary institutions.

The winner receives a €10,000 and will benefit from a robust promotional campaign for their book.

Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique finalists

Djaïli Amadou Amal, Munyal, Les larmes de la patience, Éditions Proximité (Cameroon)
Khalil Diallo, A l’orée du trépas, Harmattan Sénégal (Senegal)
Youssouf Amine Elalamy, Même pas mort, Éditions le Fennec (Morocco)
Pierre Kouassi Kangannou, La rue 171, Eburnie (Ivory Coast)
Salima Louafa, Chairs d’argile, Afrique Orient (Morocco)
Yamen Manaï, L’amas ardent, Éditions Elyzad (Tunisia)

The six finalists were invited to present their books at the Salon du Livre Paris in March; here is a sampling of what they said about their lives, work and literature at large:

« Une raison de vivre peut-être une parfaite raison de mourir. »
‘Perhaps a reason for living can also be the perfect reason for dying.’
—Khalil Diallo, author of A l’orée du trépas

« Dans ce récit c’est la rue elle-même qui est la narratrice. Elle dit ce qu’elle a vu et entendu … Et les débats qui traversent la société sont les débats qui sont plus ou moins revus par la rue. »
‘In fact in the story, the road itself is the narrator. It shares what it picks up, hears and sees. All society’s conflicts are more of less reflected by and reflected on by this road.’
—Pierre K Kangannou, author of La rue 171

« La littérature c’est ma vraie raison de vivre, elle est aussi un exutoire. Elle me permet d’être le porte-parole d’une majorité de femmes de mon pays. »
‘Literature is my true reason for living and it’s also a release. It allows me to be a spokesperson for a large part of the women in Cameroon.’
—Djaïli Amadou Amal, author of Munyal, Les larmes de la patience

The winner will be announced on 23 May 2019 in a ceremony in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Find more information at Lecteurs.com.