My phone rang at the Ghanaian end of the Aflao border just before we crossed into Togo. I quickly picked the call before the network disappeared. It was Eghosa Imasuen, the MD of Narratives Landscape, a Lagos-based publishing outfit. He wanted to know if I could chair the jury of the newly established CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, an initiative of the Cairo-based Afreximbank to be partnered by Narratives Landscape.
Even though I had a very busy schedule ahead of me, I said, ‘Yes’. It’s hard to say ‘No’ to Eghosa. Debonair, hardworking and ever so creative, it’s always a delight to work with the energetic polymath.
I was on my way to Lagos by road from my Accra base to prepare for the forthcoming conference of the nascent World Organisation of Writers scheduled for Abuja, Nigeria. With the soaring cost of running a continental writers’ organisation against a backdrop of rapidly diminishing funding, road trips were some of my survival tactics. In addition, a road trip will also be another opportunity to add another travelogue to my delightful collection of travel stories.
Minutes later as we entered Togo, my mind went back to my earlier commitment to Eghosa. I was a bit worried about the enormity of my new assignment in view of my busy schedule. Not even the stunning postcard scenery of a coconut tree-lined Lome coastline with the blue translucent Atlantic Ocean glistening in the background could dowse my worries.
However, after a couple of emails, online meetings as well as the mastery of an efficient and transparent digital scoring platform, all my doubts evaporated as I quickly settled into my new role.
Matters were helped by the organisers of the competition who organised a virtual meeting which involved the three judges as well as stakeholders in the African publishing industry. The meeting afforded publishers, authors and literary advocates the opportunity to seek more clarity about the prize from the organisers.
The judging process was also helped by the camaraderie with my co judges — Edwige Dro, the writer and literary translator from Ivory Coast, as well as the Egyptian poet, novelist and journalist, Ashraf Aboud-Yazid. The fact that I had previously worked with the duo was another big plus to our new working relationship. This was in addition to the fact that we were part of a new and bold initiative to support publishing in Africa.
In one of the numerous emails from the organisers, the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa was described as ‘’not only a celebration of publishing excellence but also a beacon of inspiration for the African publishing industry.’’ As judges, we were expected to ‘’assess a publisher’s work on a book, focusing on the physical quality of the publication and the editorial courage displayed in publishing significant subjects’’.
While submissions for the prize would be open for one month, the judging process would be for a three-month period during which the longlist of thirteen titles, the shortlist of five books, and the eventual winning book would be decided. The culmination of the whole process would be at the CANEX WKND in October 2024 in Algiers, Algeria where the award would be presented to the deserving winner.
An opportunity to further promote the competition came up with my invitation to attend the African Publishers Network (APNET) Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, in June 2024. In addition to my copious reference to the competition in my goodwill message, I was also able to facilitate a meeting between a representative of the Afreximbank and APNET officials at the two-day event.
As judges, we held our meetings via Zoom. Even though our deliberations were serious and contemplative, we never had any reason to allow the intense debates about the books we were judging to become heated.
Right from our first meeting, we found a way to laugh with each other. Edwige was the ‘life of the party’ with her witty remarks laced with an openness and candour that quickly defused any imminent tension. She was quick to let us know that she doesn’t work on Mondays, while her morning coffee must come before any meeting. Ashraf was similarly disarming with his hilarious Arabian quotes that are usually laced with his trademark bewitching smile.
Our main challenge was finding suitable times for our virtual meetings. Apart from the different time zones in our various locations, we still had to contend with the peripatetic nature of our jobs. On one occasion, Ashraf was holed up in South Korea for a workshop while Edwige was shuttling between her Abidjan base and East Africa, with me crossing from one African border to the other. ‘I don’t know why you still need a house if you travel that much,’ Edwinge once observed humorously when we all shared our different itineraries.
As the days and weeks went by, parcels after parcels of books were delivered to my Accra office by DHL. It was a wide range of submissions made up of short story collections, non-fiction works, full length novels, and children’s stories, among others. I was soon in the midst of a beautiful array of glossy books that left me salivating like a toddler in an ice cream shop.
For the next few weeks, I read every day. I read before bed, I read through meals, I read while traveling by road, air or water. As expected, it was a lot of work but I enjoyed every minute of the intensive exercise. In addition, it was a rewarding experience which added to my skills as a writer and book reviewer.
To commence the judging process, a digital summary of our individual scores were sent to us by the secretary appointed by the prize organisers.
It was now our duty as judges to decide on a 13-book longlist. We thereafter organised some virtual meetings to discuss the merits of the books with the highest scores for the longlist. As we discussed and argued and critiqued the different works, it was obvious that while we readily agreed on some books, there were some occasional needs for compromise.
At the end, we had a longlist which we were satisfied with while we fixed another meeting for the shortlist and the eventual winner.
As part of preparations for the final ceremony for the award ceremony slated for Algiers, Algeria, the CANEX video team led by Ms Chanelle Ellaya, the CANEX Senior Programme Manager, visited my office at PAWA House, Accra, Ghana, to interview me as the Head of the Jury.
It was a delightful visit as the technical crew burrowed itself into all the nooks and crannies of the headquarters of the continental writers’ body. In between interviews, the team beamed their searchlights on some African leaders and literary figures such as Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Senghor, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, among others, whose pictures beautifully adorned the building.
A few weeks later, at another interesting meeting which was not as difficult as our earlier meetings, we were able to agree on the shortlist of five publishers. We also used the meeting to agree on the eventual prize winner even though we were not to disclose the identity until the award ceremony.
With that, our job as judges was done and we were all happy with our efforts. ‘’I’m happy it’s finally over,” Edwige gushed. ‘’I thought we were going to fight. Thank you, Dr Wale, for being such a consensus-seeking and a humble Chief Judge,’’ she added, bursting into her usually boisterous laughter. ‘’Good judges don’t fight. They always come to a good agreement at the end of the day,’’ Ashraf observed.
If my fellow judges were happy with the result of their work, the same could not be said about their moods when they realised that I was the only one who would represent the jury at the award giving ceremony in Algiers.
“Even though I already had enough travels this month, I was still looking forward to another tasty Algerian food,’’ Edwige said.
After another of his philosophical quotes, Ashraf asked me to go well and come back with an account of the proceedings at Algiers.
In line with the requirements for my Algerian trip, I visited the Algerian Embassy in Accra for my visa. I also used the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit to the new Algerian Ambassador, His Excellency Ambassador Mourad Louhaidia, who replaced the former Ambassdaor Ali Redjel, a very good friend of mine who had facilitated my previous trip to Algeria to attend a book festival. Fresh from his previous posting in the UK, Amabassador Louhaidia gave me an update about his country, which, with a land mass of 2,381,741 square kilometres, is the largest nation in Africa by size.
In addition, Sonatrach, Algeria’s national oil company, is the largest company in Africa, supplying large amounts of natural gas to Europe while Algeria’s military is one of the largest in Africa, with the largest defence budget on the continent.
On ground to welcome me to Algiers was my friend, Laeed Zaghlami, a Professor of Information and Communication at the University of Algiers in Algeria. It was Laeed who had taken my wife and I on a sightseeing of the quaint and picturesque Algerian capital during my last visit.
Prof Zaghlami, a writer of the leftist bent, was not happy with the proceedings at the CANEX event which had commenced the day before.
‘’Nobody is mentioning anything about literature and culture. All they are speaking about is how to make money’’ he said.
“Of course, it’s important to learn how to use our skills as writers to make money,’’ was my light-hearted response. I also assured him that literature and culture would be well captured before the end of the four-day event.
After a wonderful weekend of celebration of the works of African creatives, the award ceremony for the inaugural CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a $20,000 award, finally took place at the Sheraton Algiers.
The event took place during an exclusive dinner featuring an African Union-themed menu curated by chefs from Algeria, Trinidad, and Nigeria. The dinner was hosted by the Honourable Minister of Culture and Arts of Algeria, Mrs Soraya Mouloudji.
In addition to the prize money was also the prize trophy which, according to Dr Eghosa Imasuen; ‘’is a bronze sculpture crafted by the famed bronze casters of Benin City, Nigeria, and engraved with the Adinkra symbol nkyinkyim, symbolising resilience and adaptability’’.
Also at the event were Mr Omar Ben Yedder of IC Publications and Ms Lavaille Lavette of One Street Books, who each gave short speeches on the importance of telling African stories. They also underscored how vital it is to invest in the continent’s rich literary heritage.
As the chair of the judges, I read out the citations for each shortlisted book, before the representatives from the winning publishing house as well as those on the shortlist collected their medals.
The medals were presented to the finalists by dignitaries that included Mrs Soraya Mouloudji (Algerian Minister of Culture and Arts), Mrs Kanayo Awani (Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank at Afreximbank), and H.E. Ambassador Minata Samate Cessouma (Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission).
Also in attendance were the Nigerian Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Ms Hannatu Musa Musawa, as well as that of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh.
It was a special delight to see John Enoh, who was my former colleague at the Nigerian House of Representatives, again. Incidentally, the event in Algiers was, perhaps, Enoh’s last official assignment as Nigeria’s Minister of Sports. The following week, he was reposted to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as a Minister of State.
After a brief sightseeing of Algiers, the capital and chief seaport of Algeria with the enchanting view of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, it was time to go back to base.
Inside my travelling bag, sandwiched between my clothes and books were two packets of Algerian dates. One for Edwige, one for Ashraf. I hoped they would like them.
