#Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature

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Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 winners announced.

Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 winners announced.

The winners of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 were announced at a ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday, October 1, 2022. The Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, sponsored by Madison Group, celebrates Kenyan writers in the categories of fiction for adults, youth (young adults), and children in English and Kiswahili every two years. The awards, running since 1972, are given by the…

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Margaret Ogola

Margaret Ogola was born in 1958 in Asembo, Kenya. Ogola's debut novel, The River and the Source, won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, and the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region. She wrote a total of six books, one of which was published posthumously. Ogola won a second Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Palace of Destiny. In addition to her literary career, she was also a pediatrician and served as medical director of Cottolengo Hospice for HIV/AIDS orphans.

Margaret Ogola died in 2011 at the age of 53.

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#HottMixxPiks AvailableNow@BlackRoseBooks BlackRoseBooksPDX.net Michael@BlackRoseBooksPDX.net $15.00 *HottMixxPiks* 48hr Processing&Shipping Fiction. African and African American Studies. Winner of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature. Desperate to make ends meet, Ombima commits a "harmless" crime. When he tries to conceal his misdeed, the simple farm laborer becomes a reluctant participant in a sinister affair. If discovered, the consequences could be disastrous for Ombima's family, friends, and a spate of unwitting, gossipy villagers. A delicious tale of greed, lust, and betrayal, Stanley Gazemba's FORBIDDEN FRUIT is more than a dramatic tale of rural life in western Kenya. The moral slips and desperate cover-ups—sometimes sad, sometimes farcical—are the stories of time and place beyond the village of Maragoli. "Once in a while I come across a novel that affirms life, without cheapening it, or sensationalizing, a book that presents a human condition with such mastery it makes one proud to be alive.they are, for me, the sort of books that make literature great."—Binyavanga Wainaina "What makes [FORBIDDEN FRUIT] so special is that it has no pretensions about attempting to address issues of modernity, of city life, of 'clash of cultures,' of the rural-urban divide...the issues it deals with are as immediate, even if they are beyond the gaze, beyond the limits of the urbanity that attracts most writers."—African Review of Books

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Greetings Africa from Nairobi’s Uhuru Park

http://www.vionafrica.cf/greetings-africa-from-nairobis-uhuru-park/

Greetings Africa from Nairobi’s Uhuru Park

History

Uhuru (Swahili word for Freedom) Park was established in 1940s but was opened to the public on May 23 by the founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

It provided the best place for Kenyans, especially those living in Nairobi to relax and enjoy recreational activities like paddleboat riding in the artificial lake, horse riding across the expanse of the park, among others.

The park was however not open to Kenyans of African descent before independence. It was the preserve of the colonialists, who would walk around the park after church on Sunday. Uhuru Park is surrounded by several churches including All Saints Cathedral, St. Andrews Church and Holy Family Basillica, which were attended by White people pre-independence. Africans were restricted to the ‘downtown’ areas beyond River Road.

Then came Moi

In 1989, Uhuru Park faced one of its many struggles. Then President Daniel Moi wanted to build a complex to house his party, Kenya Africa National Union, media house, the Kenya Times Newspaper, shopping malls, galleries and offices. A large statue of President Moi would also be built, according to the plan.

However, Nobel Prize Winner and Greenbelt Movement Founder Wangari Maathai protested the move, but was ignored by the government. Her continuous protest and letters to the international communities resulted into the cancellation of the project by investors.

Freedom Corner

In 1992, Maathai joined a group of protestors, including mothers of political prisoners, in a hunger strike. They selected a corner of Uhuru Park and labelled it as the Freedom Corner, where they stayed as they pressured the government to release political prisoner. Maathai had just been released on bail before this hunger strike.

Freedom Corner is now the site of a monument that pays tribute to the victims of the British colonial rule in Kenya. It is also the starting point for many protest marches within the city.

Other protests held in the Park include the infamous burning of condoms and safe-sex literature by the Catholic Church led by Cardinal Maurice Otunga in 1996.

National_Monument_at_Uhuru_Park Photo: Ian Alexander /Flickr

Present Day

Uhuru Park has been the venue for many national events: most memorable would be the promulgation of the Kenya Constitution 2010. Kenyans thronged the park to witness the historic ceremony, and were joined by the international community.

The park is a much sought after venue for political parties in their campaign trails and to churches hoping to hold big crusades.

As much as Kenyans enjoy easy access to the park, this access was taken away from them in 2007, when it was cordoned off in light of the Post-Election Violence. In June 2010, two grenade attacks saw seven dead and hundreds injured at the park.

Uhuru park. Photo: jennifer wu/Flickr

Bird nest in the tree, Uhuru Park, Nairobi. Photo: Ting Chen/Flickr

Uhuru park fountain. Photo: Flickr/DEMOSH

Nyayo Monument. Photo: Wiki commons

[jamesmurualiterary]

TBC Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 shortlists announced.

TBC Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 shortlists announced.

The shortlists for the Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2021 have been revealed by the Kenya Publishers Association today, September 19, 2022. The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature celebrates Kenyan writers in the categories of fiction for adults, youth (young adults), and children in English and Kiswahili every two years. The awards, running since 1972, are…

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Meja Mwangi: Literary Methods and the Future of Kenyan Writing

Meja Mwangi: Literary Methods and the Future of Kenyan Writing

The Kenyan Readathon was hosted at the Alliance Française Nairobi on September 10, 2022. Prolific author Meja Mwangi sent an address that was read on his behalf by event founder Lexa Lubanga.   Meja Mwangi made a huge impact when his debut novel, Kill Me Quick (1973) received the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature the following year. Some notable works from the prolific author have been Going…

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Henry Ole Kulet gets Kenya’s “Elder of the Burning Spear” national honour

Henry Ole Kulet gets Kenya’s “Elder of the Burning Spear” national honour

Kenyan author Henry Ole Kulet was awarded the Elder of the Burning Spear: Second Class at this year’s Independence Day celebrations on December 12, 2019.

Since December 12, 1963, the Republic of Kenya annually celebrates its Independence Day from its colonial rulers the British. As anyone who knows any Kiswahili will know, the word for freedom is Uhuru but the day is designated as Jamhuri Day.…

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Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 winners announced.

Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 winners announced.

The winners of the Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 were announced by the Kenya Publishers Association at a ceremony at the Pride Inn, Nairobi on Saturday, September 28, 2019.

In the Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, Kenyan writers are celebrated in the categories of fiction for adults, youth (young adults), and children in English and Kiswahili. The…

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The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 shortlists announced.

The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 shortlists announced.

The shortlists for the Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2019 were announced by the Kenya Publishers Association on September 9, 2019.

The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, considered the most prestigious literary award in Kenya, has been handed out by the Kenya Publishers’ Association since 1974. Writers are celebrated in the categories of fiction for adults,…

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Lily Mabura’s “Remembrance” published by Longhorn Publishers.

Lily Mabura’s “Remembrance” published by Longhorn Publishers.

Lily Mabura’s new novel Remembrance was published by Longhorn Publishers on March 27, 2019.

Lily Mabura is a writer who first came to the notice of Kenyan audiences when her book Ali, the Little Sultan won the children’s category at the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 2001. In the same year, her debut novel The Pretoria Conspiracywon Kenya’s National Book Week Literary Award. She followed…

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Text Book Center Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 winners announced

Text Book Center Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 winners announced

Henry Ole Kulet The winners of the Text Book Center Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 were announced on September 30, 2017 as part of this year’s Nairobi International Book Fair. The Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature a brainchild of the Kenya Publishers Association, established in the early 1970’s, is open to Kenyan writers whose work is published in Kenya. The award celebrated the best…

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Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 shortlists announced

Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 shortlists announced

Henry Ole Kulet The shortlists for this year’s edition of the Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2017 have been announced. The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature is a biennial literary award given by the Kenya Publishers’ Association starting in 1974. It is considered the most prestigious literary award in the east African country. The most recent winner of the…

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Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature deadline is 31 March

Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature deadline is 31 March

Jomo Kenyatta. Photo/ Rex Coleman, for Baron Studios

The Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature is the brainchild of the Kenya Publishers Association. It was established in the early 1970’s and is open to Kenyan writers whose work is published in Kenya. It is awarded every two years with Henry Ole Kulet winning in the English category for his epic book Vanishing Herds (my review) published by…