Monday, July 23, 2007
Press Release: Chibo Onyeji Wins the 2nd Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
Bay Shore, New York: July 23, 2007: Iroko Productions LLC today announces Chibo Onyeji as the winner of the 2nd Oladuah Equiano Prize for Fiction. He won the $1000 Prize with his short story, "Escapegoat."
Chibo Onyeji teaches at the University of Vienna, Austria. His short story, “The Professor” was shortlisted for the 2005 Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction.
The judges describe Chibo Onyeji's winning short story, "Escapegoat," as "an artistic and bookish collage of life-affirming conflicts at all levels of human experience."
Continuing on why Onyeji’s “Escapegoat” won the 2007 Equiano prize, the statement of the Board of Judges reads: “The African student who battles his Caucasian professor at a Belgrade bar on the Marxist discontent of the Nigerian genocide and the Biafran war, is also a soldier of fortune fully committed to dispossessing the master of beautiful Zorica who is caught between the legend of an old bottle and the freshness of a new wine. The genius of Onyeji’s “Escapegoat” lies in his triumphant rediscovery of the delicate balance between polemical oratory and artistic self-invention."
Chibo Onyeji was born in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Sts. Cyril & Methodius, Skope and a PhD from Texas A&M University. He is the author of several poetry collections. His short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in journals, anthologies, and online. His latest book of poems Flowers, Bread, and Gold appeared in October 2006. Forthcoming from him are two collections of children’s poems in Igbo language Itu Agwa Ka Agu and Amakaekwu, and a collection of childhood short stories, Ikedi.
The second prize goes to Ken N. Kamoche for his story "A Glimpse of Life." The $300 2nd prize is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the memory of his late father Chief S. B. C. Osakwe.
The 3rd prize of $100 endowed by Nigerianvillagesquare.com goes to Afam Akeh for his story "The Denial."
All stories submitted for this year's competition will be considered for publication in an anthology of short fiction devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
Chielozona Eze’s short story, “Lessons in German,” was the prime winner of the first Equiano Prize in 2005.
The judges for this year's competition are Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
According to Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions LLC, "entries for next year's edition will open on December 2007, and the winner will be announced in July 2008.”
The Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction is supported by Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC, www.ibgtax.com, and Pius Airewele Esq.
Contact Information: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Email: Rudolf@irokoproductions.com
Phone: 617-697-1733
http://www.equianoprize.blogspot.com/
Chibo Onyeji teaches at the University of Vienna, Austria. His short story, “The Professor” was shortlisted for the 2005 Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction.
The judges describe Chibo Onyeji's winning short story, "Escapegoat," as "an artistic and bookish collage of life-affirming conflicts at all levels of human experience."
Continuing on why Onyeji’s “Escapegoat” won the 2007 Equiano prize, the statement of the Board of Judges reads: “The African student who battles his Caucasian professor at a Belgrade bar on the Marxist discontent of the Nigerian genocide and the Biafran war, is also a soldier of fortune fully committed to dispossessing the master of beautiful Zorica who is caught between the legend of an old bottle and the freshness of a new wine. The genius of Onyeji’s “Escapegoat” lies in his triumphant rediscovery of the delicate balance between polemical oratory and artistic self-invention."
Chibo Onyeji was born in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Sts. Cyril & Methodius, Skope and a PhD from Texas A&M University. He is the author of several poetry collections. His short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in journals, anthologies, and online. His latest book of poems Flowers, Bread, and Gold appeared in October 2006. Forthcoming from him are two collections of children’s poems in Igbo language Itu Agwa Ka Agu and Amakaekwu, and a collection of childhood short stories, Ikedi.
The second prize goes to Ken N. Kamoche for his story "A Glimpse of Life." The $300 2nd prize is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the memory of his late father Chief S. B. C. Osakwe.
The 3rd prize of $100 endowed by Nigerianvillagesquare.com goes to Afam Akeh for his story "The Denial."
All stories submitted for this year's competition will be considered for publication in an anthology of short fiction devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
Chielozona Eze’s short story, “Lessons in German,” was the prime winner of the first Equiano Prize in 2005.
The judges for this year's competition are Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
According to Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions LLC, "entries for next year's edition will open on December 2007, and the winner will be announced in July 2008.”
The Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction is supported by Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC, www.ibgtax.com, and Pius Airewele Esq.
Contact Information: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Email: Rudolf@irokoproductions.com
Phone: 617-697-1733
http://www.equianoprize.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 16, 2007
Press Release: Iroko Productions LLC Announces Shortlisted Candidates for 2nd Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
Press Release: Iroko Productions LLC Announces Shortlisted Candidates for 2nd Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
Bay Shore, NY – July 16, 2007 - Iroko Productions LLC today announces the following as shortlisted candidates for the 2nd Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction:
1.) Ken N. Kamoche for his story "A Glimpse of Life".
2.) Afam Ake for "The Denial"
3.) Unoma Azuah for "Sirens"
4.) Biko Agozino (Okib Oniz) for "Hurricane Madonna"
5.) Chibo Onyeji for "Escapegoat"
The winner will be announced on Monday, July 23, 2007. Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction is an annual prize open to Africans living abroad. The first prize of $1000 is awarded to an original and unpublished short story between 3000 and 10000 words that centers on the experience of Africans living abroad. The second prize of $300 is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the name of his late father, Chief S. B. C. Osakwe. A third prize of $100 is also awarded.
All stories will be considered for publication in an anthology devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
The judges for this year's competition are Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
Okey Ndibe will join the faculty at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in the fall. He is the author of Arrows of Rain. Ndibe is also a columnist for Nigeria's Sun newspaper.
Wale Adebanwi, until recently, a lecturer in political science (University of Ibadan), is currently a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar at Cambridge University, England. He is a writer and literary critic.
Obiwu is director of the Writing Center at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. A writer and comparative literary theorist, his work includes “The History of Nigerian Literature, 1772-2006” (2006) and the forthcoming anthology of stories, Biafran Babies.
In inaugurating the Olaudah Equiano Prize, Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions, noted that "as more and more Africans immigrate, Africa loses some of its finest minds. While abroad, the struggle for survival often overshadows the utilization of the potentials in these Africans. Their talents and expected contributions to humanity suffer as a consequence. This competition is an effort aimed at encouraging talented Africans abroad to revisit their gifts, reconnect with their dreams, and reassert their unique place in the literary world."
The prize is named after Olaudah Equiano who in 1789 published Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African. It became an instant bestseller and had a great impact on the struggle to abolish the slave trade. Equiano's book, which is still widely read around the world, became a pioneer of the slave narrative tradition and earned Equiano the recognition as father of black literature in global letters.
Iroko Productions named the prize after Olaudah Equiano to underscore that "the struggle, survival, and success of Equiano exemplified the best of Africa in the Diaspora." Believing that African geniuses are here with us, Mr. Okonkwo remarked that "Iroko Productions LLC is committed to the search for these gems. When we find them, we intend to nurture and celebrate them. We believe that the continuing production and dissemination of African masterpieces depend on our ability to identify, promote and preserve the African geniuses at home and abroad."
This year's competition received numerous entries from Europe, North America, and Asia. Some of the entries are being considered for inclusion in an anthology to be published by Iroko Productions LLC.
"We are pleased with the response to this prize," Okonkwo said from his base in Bay Shore, New York. "In just two years, it has grown to be a well-respected prize that is inspiring Africans in the Diaspora in their effort to tell our stories. Nothing can be more gratifying.”
Among the five shortlisted candidates are established as well as emerging writers.
Ken N. Kamoche was born in Kenya. He obtained a doctorate in management at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. He has taught at universities in the UK, Portugal, Thailand, and now Hong Kong. Ken has published four books on management, including Organizational Improvisation, a look at how managers can learn from jazz improvisers. His short stories have appeared in magazines like Ambit, New York Stories, Wasafiri, Kunapipi, etc. His short story collection will be published in 2007. He's also completing a novel.
Afam Akeh is editor of African Writing and former editor of Arts and Books at the Daily Times, Nigeria. He has written poetry, essays, stories, and some reviews for online journals and for the media in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. His new poetry collection, Letter Home (2006), was shortlisted for an Association of Nigerian Authors poetry prize. Letter Home is his second collection, after Stolen Moments (1988). His earlier poetry was a prizewinner at the BBC Arts for Africa Poetry Competition, and some of his poems appear in the BBC-Heinemann anthology for that competition, A Fate of Vultures (1989). Akeh’s poetry has also appeared in Nigerian newspapers and the poetry anthologies, Camouflage (2006), Voices from the Fringe (1988), and Poets in their Youth (1988).
Unoma Azuah teaches composition and creative writing at Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee. She is an MFA graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, Virginia. She also has an MA in English from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, both in the US. Her undergraduate degree in English is from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She has received a number of awards for her writings, which include the Hellman/Hammett award, the Leonard Trawick award and the Urban Spectrum award for her debut novel, Sky-High Flames.
Dr Biko Agozino (Okib Oniz) is professor of sociology at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest historically black college in the US. He is the author of ADAM: Africana Drug-Free Alternative Medicine (2006, Iva Valley), Pan African Issues in Crime and Justice (co-editor, Ashgate, 2004); Counter-Colonial Criminology (London, Pluto Press, 2003); Nigeria: Democratising a Militarised Civil Society (London, CDD, co-author, 2001), and Black Women and the Criminal Justice System (Aldershot, Ashgate, 1997), among other books. He was educated at the University of Calabar (B.Sc., First Class Honours in Sociology); University of Cambridge Law Faculty (MPhil in Criminology), and University of Edinburgh Law Faculty (Ph.D. in Criminology).
Chibo Onyeji was born in Enugu, where he attended St. Bartholomew’s Anglican School. Author of several poetry collections, his short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in journals, anthologies, and online. His short story “The Professor” was shortlised for the 2005 Olaudah Equiano prize. His latest book of poems Flowers, Bread, and Gold appeared in October 2006. Forthcoming from him are two collections of children’s poems in Igbo language Itu Agwa Ka Agu and Amakaekwu, and a collection of childhood short stories, Ikedi. Mr. Onyeji was educated at the University of Sts. Cyril & Methodius, and Texas A&M University. He lives in Ebreichsdorf near Vienna.
The Olaudah Equiano Prize is supported by Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC.
Contact: rudolf@irokoproductions.com
Phone: 617-697-1733
Bay Shore, NY – July 16, 2007 - Iroko Productions LLC today announces the following as shortlisted candidates for the 2nd Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction:
1.) Ken N. Kamoche for his story "A Glimpse of Life".
2.) Afam Ake for "The Denial"
3.) Unoma Azuah for "Sirens"
4.) Biko Agozino (Okib Oniz) for "Hurricane Madonna"
5.) Chibo Onyeji for "Escapegoat"
The winner will be announced on Monday, July 23, 2007. Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction is an annual prize open to Africans living abroad. The first prize of $1000 is awarded to an original and unpublished short story between 3000 and 10000 words that centers on the experience of Africans living abroad. The second prize of $300 is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the name of his late father, Chief S. B. C. Osakwe. A third prize of $100 is also awarded.
All stories will be considered for publication in an anthology devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
The judges for this year's competition are Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
Okey Ndibe will join the faculty at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in the fall. He is the author of Arrows of Rain. Ndibe is also a columnist for Nigeria's Sun newspaper.
Wale Adebanwi, until recently, a lecturer in political science (University of Ibadan), is currently a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar at Cambridge University, England. He is a writer and literary critic.
Obiwu is director of the Writing Center at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. A writer and comparative literary theorist, his work includes “The History of Nigerian Literature, 1772-2006” (2006) and the forthcoming anthology of stories, Biafran Babies.
In inaugurating the Olaudah Equiano Prize, Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions, noted that "as more and more Africans immigrate, Africa loses some of its finest minds. While abroad, the struggle for survival often overshadows the utilization of the potentials in these Africans. Their talents and expected contributions to humanity suffer as a consequence. This competition is an effort aimed at encouraging talented Africans abroad to revisit their gifts, reconnect with their dreams, and reassert their unique place in the literary world."
The prize is named after Olaudah Equiano who in 1789 published Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African. It became an instant bestseller and had a great impact on the struggle to abolish the slave trade. Equiano's book, which is still widely read around the world, became a pioneer of the slave narrative tradition and earned Equiano the recognition as father of black literature in global letters.
Iroko Productions named the prize after Olaudah Equiano to underscore that "the struggle, survival, and success of Equiano exemplified the best of Africa in the Diaspora." Believing that African geniuses are here with us, Mr. Okonkwo remarked that "Iroko Productions LLC is committed to the search for these gems. When we find them, we intend to nurture and celebrate them. We believe that the continuing production and dissemination of African masterpieces depend on our ability to identify, promote and preserve the African geniuses at home and abroad."
This year's competition received numerous entries from Europe, North America, and Asia. Some of the entries are being considered for inclusion in an anthology to be published by Iroko Productions LLC.
"We are pleased with the response to this prize," Okonkwo said from his base in Bay Shore, New York. "In just two years, it has grown to be a well-respected prize that is inspiring Africans in the Diaspora in their effort to tell our stories. Nothing can be more gratifying.”
Among the five shortlisted candidates are established as well as emerging writers.
Ken N. Kamoche was born in Kenya. He obtained a doctorate in management at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. He has taught at universities in the UK, Portugal, Thailand, and now Hong Kong. Ken has published four books on management, including Organizational Improvisation, a look at how managers can learn from jazz improvisers. His short stories have appeared in magazines like Ambit, New York Stories, Wasafiri, Kunapipi, etc. His short story collection will be published in 2007. He's also completing a novel.
Afam Akeh is editor of African Writing and former editor of Arts and Books at the Daily Times, Nigeria. He has written poetry, essays, stories, and some reviews for online journals and for the media in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. His new poetry collection, Letter Home (2006), was shortlisted for an Association of Nigerian Authors poetry prize. Letter Home is his second collection, after Stolen Moments (1988). His earlier poetry was a prizewinner at the BBC Arts for Africa Poetry Competition, and some of his poems appear in the BBC-Heinemann anthology for that competition, A Fate of Vultures (1989). Akeh’s poetry has also appeared in Nigerian newspapers and the poetry anthologies, Camouflage (2006), Voices from the Fringe (1988), and Poets in their Youth (1988).
Unoma Azuah teaches composition and creative writing at Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee. She is an MFA graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, Virginia. She also has an MA in English from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, both in the US. Her undergraduate degree in English is from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She has received a number of awards for her writings, which include the Hellman/Hammett award, the Leonard Trawick award and the Urban Spectrum award for her debut novel, Sky-High Flames.
Dr Biko Agozino (Okib Oniz) is professor of sociology at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest historically black college in the US. He is the author of ADAM: Africana Drug-Free Alternative Medicine (2006, Iva Valley), Pan African Issues in Crime and Justice (co-editor, Ashgate, 2004); Counter-Colonial Criminology (London, Pluto Press, 2003); Nigeria: Democratising a Militarised Civil Society (London, CDD, co-author, 2001), and Black Women and the Criminal Justice System (Aldershot, Ashgate, 1997), among other books. He was educated at the University of Calabar (B.Sc., First Class Honours in Sociology); University of Cambridge Law Faculty (MPhil in Criminology), and University of Edinburgh Law Faculty (Ph.D. in Criminology).
Chibo Onyeji was born in Enugu, where he attended St. Bartholomew’s Anglican School. Author of several poetry collections, his short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in journals, anthologies, and online. His short story “The Professor” was shortlised for the 2005 Olaudah Equiano prize. His latest book of poems Flowers, Bread, and Gold appeared in October 2006. Forthcoming from him are two collections of children’s poems in Igbo language Itu Agwa Ka Agu and Amakaekwu, and a collection of childhood short stories, Ikedi. Mr. Onyeji was educated at the University of Sts. Cyril & Methodius, and Texas A&M University. He lives in Ebreichsdorf near Vienna.
The Olaudah Equiano Prize is supported by Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC.
Contact: rudolf@irokoproductions.com
Phone: 617-697-1733
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Call for Entry for the 2nd Annual Equiano Prize for Fiction
July 10, 2006, Bay Shore, New York: Iroko Productions LLC today announces calls for entries for the second annual Olaudah Equiano Fiction Prize.
The $1000 prize is open to Africans living abroad. It is for an unpublished short story of 3000 to 10000 words that centers on the experiences of Africans abroad.
Entries for the second edition of the prize will be accepted from July 10, 2006 until September 30, 2006. Shortlisted candidates will be announced November 30, 2006. The winners will be announced on December 24, 2006.
All stories submitted for the first two years of the competition will be considered for publication in an anthology of short fiction devoted to new voices of Africans abroad slated for publication in the spring of 2007.
The judges for this year’s competition are Okey Ndibe of Simon’s Rock College of Bard, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Wale Adebanwi, a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar at the Cambridge University, England, and Obiwu, Director, The Writing Center, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio.
According to Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions LLC, “The first response to Equiano Prize was excellent. This year, we intend to take the competition to a new height so that by next year an elegant award ceremony will become part of the event.”
Last year’s prize was won by Chielozona Eze, an assistant professor of postcolonial and Anglophone African literature at Northeastern Illinois University for his short story, “Lessons in German.”
The second prize went to Anietie Isong for his story, “How Great Thou Art.” The $300 2nd prize is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the memory of his late father, Chief S. B. C Osakwe.
The 3rd prize of $100 went to Chika Unigwe for her story, “Confetti, Glitter, and Ash.”
Iroko Productions LLC is the publisher of Children of A Retired God by Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo. Production works on the film The Last African Virgin is slated to start in the spring of 2007.
For detailed guideline on Equiano Prize, please visit http://www.equianoprize.blogspot.com/
Contact Information: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Email: Rudolf@irokoproductions.com
Phone: 617-697-1733
Rules
1.) This competition is going to be an annual competition open to any African living abroad.
2.) All works must be an original and unpublished short story. Each story shall center on the experience of Africans living abroad.
3.) The length of the work must be between 3000 and 5000 words.
4.) All entries must be in English and not submitted elsewhere until winners are announced.
5.) All entries must be typewritten and double-spaced on one side of 8.5 x 11 white paper. Manuscripts will not be returned, so keep your original.
6.) All candidates are allowed to submit one story only.
7.) A word document attachment of the same entry must be sent to editor@irokoproductions.com
8.) There will be a cash prize of $1000 for the winning author. Second place author will get $300 and third place author will get $100.
9.) All stories will be considered for publication in an anthology of new voices of Africa abroad.
10.) Iroko Productions LLC reserves the first serial rights to publish the stories worldwide. All rights return to the author on publication.
11.) Iroko Productions LLC also reserves the first right to option the stories for motion pictures production.
12.) Please send hard copy of your story to Iroko
Productions, LLC, P. O. Box 541, Lynn, MA, 01905
13.) Closing date for entry is September 30th, 2006. Entries received the day after will not be considered.
14.) Short-listed entries will be announced on November 30, 2006.
15.) Winning entry will be announced on December 24, 2006.
16.) Entries that fail to conform to the rules above will not be considered.
17.) Employees of Iroko Productions LLC, their immediate families, the judges and their immediate families are not eligible for this competition.
2.) All works must be an original and unpublished short story. Each story shall center on the experience of Africans living abroad.
3.) The length of the work must be between 3000 and 5000 words.
4.) All entries must be in English and not submitted elsewhere until winners are announced.
5.) All entries must be typewritten and double-spaced on one side of 8.5 x 11 white paper. Manuscripts will not be returned, so keep your original.
6.) All candidates are allowed to submit one story only.
7.) A word document attachment of the same entry must be sent to editor@irokoproductions.com
8.) There will be a cash prize of $1000 for the winning author. Second place author will get $300 and third place author will get $100.
9.) All stories will be considered for publication in an anthology of new voices of Africa abroad.
10.) Iroko Productions LLC reserves the first serial rights to publish the stories worldwide. All rights return to the author on publication.
11.) Iroko Productions LLC also reserves the first right to option the stories for motion pictures production.
12.) Please send hard copy of your story to Iroko
Productions, LLC, P. O. Box 541, Lynn, MA, 01905
13.) Closing date for entry is September 30th, 2006. Entries received the day after will not be considered.
14.) Short-listed entries will be announced on November 30, 2006.
15.) Winning entry will be announced on December 24, 2006.
16.) Entries that fail to conform to the rules above will not be considered.
17.) Employees of Iroko Productions LLC, their immediate families, the judges and their immediate families are not eligible for this competition.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Chielozona Eze Wins 1st Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
Press Release: Chielozona Eze Wins 1st Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
Bay Shore, New York, December 23, 2005: Iroko Productions today announces Chielozona Eze as the winner of the 1st Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction. He won the $1000 Prize with his short story, “Lessons in German.”
Chielozona Eze is an assistant professor of postcolonial and Anglophone African literature at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago.
The judges describe Chielozona Eze's winning short story, "Lessons in German," as “a swan song to, and of, all that was, and is, beautiful and enduring but utterly corrupted by humanity. It is an awakening of consciousness to the binding contract of sublimation, the pristine glory of nature that is bound for decay, an ennobling song in our hearts that is the beginning of manic depression.”
In the words of Obiwu, the chairman of the judges, “‘Lessons in German’ is a narration about music and language, sex and sexuality, love and hate, art and artifice, knowledge and ignorance, light and darkness, genocide and communality, affirmation and denegation. Eze pours his body and soul, not unlike the enmeshed wine and flesh of his interracial protagonists, into a narrative that is one of the most consuming commentaries on contemporary dialectics of migration, globalization, and the return of beauty.”
Chielozona Eze grew up in Enugu, Nigeria. He completed his graduate studies from Purdue University in December 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, at Los Angeles.
The second prize goes to Anietie Isong for his story, “How Great Thou Art.” The $300 2nd prize is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the memory of his late father, Chief S. B. C Osakwe.
The 3rd prize of $100 goes to Chika Unigwe for her story, “Confetti, Glitter, and Ash.”
All stories submitted for this year’s competition will be considered for publication in an anthology of short fiction devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
The judges for this year’s competition were Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
According to Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions, “entries for next year’s edition will open on July 1, 2006, and the winner will be announced on Christmas Eve.’
The Olaudah Equiano Prize is supported by United African Artists, www.UnitedAfricanArtists.com, producers of the movie, THIS AMERICA, Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC, www.ibgtax.com, Ik Anunike of Lord’s Wish Transportation, Angel Amukadi of Teamprophoto.net and Olisa Adigwe of Lowell, MA.
Contact Information: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Email: Rudolf@irokoproductions
Bay Shore, New York, December 23, 2005: Iroko Productions today announces Chielozona Eze as the winner of the 1st Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction. He won the $1000 Prize with his short story, “Lessons in German.”
Chielozona Eze is an assistant professor of postcolonial and Anglophone African literature at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago.
The judges describe Chielozona Eze's winning short story, "Lessons in German," as “a swan song to, and of, all that was, and is, beautiful and enduring but utterly corrupted by humanity. It is an awakening of consciousness to the binding contract of sublimation, the pristine glory of nature that is bound for decay, an ennobling song in our hearts that is the beginning of manic depression.”
In the words of Obiwu, the chairman of the judges, “‘Lessons in German’ is a narration about music and language, sex and sexuality, love and hate, art and artifice, knowledge and ignorance, light and darkness, genocide and communality, affirmation and denegation. Eze pours his body and soul, not unlike the enmeshed wine and flesh of his interracial protagonists, into a narrative that is one of the most consuming commentaries on contemporary dialectics of migration, globalization, and the return of beauty.”
Chielozona Eze grew up in Enugu, Nigeria. He completed his graduate studies from Purdue University in December 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, at Los Angeles.
The second prize goes to Anietie Isong for his story, “How Great Thou Art.” The $300 2nd prize is endowed by Dr. Chuma Osakwe in the memory of his late father, Chief S. B. C Osakwe.
The 3rd prize of $100 goes to Chika Unigwe for her story, “Confetti, Glitter, and Ash.”
All stories submitted for this year’s competition will be considered for publication in an anthology of short fiction devoted to new voices of Africans abroad.
The judges for this year’s competition were Okey Ndibe, Wale Adebanwi, and Obiwu.
According to Rudolf Okonkwo, the CEO of Iroko Productions, “entries for next year’s edition will open on July 1, 2006, and the winner will be announced on Christmas Eve.’
The Olaudah Equiano Prize is supported by United African Artists, www.UnitedAfricanArtists.com, producers of the movie, THIS AMERICA, Ehimen Edokpa of IBG Tax & Accounting LLC, www.ibgtax.com, Ik Anunike of Lord’s Wish Transportation, Angel Amukadi of Teamprophoto.net and Olisa Adigwe of Lowell, MA.
Contact Information: Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Email: Rudolf@irokoproductions
About the Competition
About the Competition
As more and more Africans immigrate, Africa loses some of its finest minds. While abroad, the struggle for survival often overshadows the utilization of the potentials in these Africans. Their talents and expected contributions to humanity suffer as a consequence.
This competition is a little effort aimed at encouraging talented Africans abroad to revisit their gifts, reconnect with their dreams and reassert their unique place in literary world.
At Iroko Productions & Publications, we believe that the African geniuses are here with us. We are committed to the search for these gems. When we find them, we intend to nurture and celebrate them. We believe that the continuing existence of the African masterpieces depends on our ability to identify, promote and preserve the African geniuses at home and abroad.
We aspire to give greater audience to established African talents and beam a bright light on those previously unrecognized. It is also our hope that African experiences at home and abroad should occupy a central place in world literature.
With time, we hope to expand the prizes and recognition programs we have to include Africans writing in Africa.
As more and more Africans immigrate, Africa loses some of its finest minds. While abroad, the struggle for survival often overshadows the utilization of the potentials in these Africans. Their talents and expected contributions to humanity suffer as a consequence.
This competition is a little effort aimed at encouraging talented Africans abroad to revisit their gifts, reconnect with their dreams and reassert their unique place in literary world.
At Iroko Productions & Publications, we believe that the African geniuses are here with us. We are committed to the search for these gems. When we find them, we intend to nurture and celebrate them. We believe that the continuing existence of the African masterpieces depends on our ability to identify, promote and preserve the African geniuses at home and abroad.
We aspire to give greater audience to established African talents and beam a bright light on those previously unrecognized. It is also our hope that African experiences at home and abroad should occupy a central place in world literature.
With time, we hope to expand the prizes and recognition programs we have to include Africans writing in Africa.
About Olaudah Equiano
About Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano was born in Essaka, an Igbo village in the country now known as Nigeria in the year 1745. At age 11, he was kidnapped by Aro people and sold into slavery. He survived the inhumane Middle Passage to Barbados in which over 50 % of all African slaves perished. He was finally sold to a planter in Virginia. In 1757, British Naval officer, Michael Henry Pascal bought him as a present to his cousin in London and renamed him Gustavus Vassa. He traveled to Britain and from 1758 – 62, he served the British Navy during the French and Indian War. The promise of freedom made by Pascal was not fulfilled. Equiano was again sold to Robert King in Montserrat.
From 1763 –66, Equiano worked on ships that transported slaves from West Indies to Mainland America. By 1766, he had mastered merchants’ commercial practices and was able to save enough money from his own labor that he paid 40 Pounds Sterling and bought his freedom. As a seaman, he traveled the world from Europe to America and down the Mediterranean. He was involved in the movement to abolish slavery. In 1789, he presented antislavery petition to England’s Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. He was appointed a commissary officer charged with the resettlement of London’s poor Blacks in Sierra Leone.
Equiano was an intelligent man who was able to learn the language, religion and laws of his enslaver. In 1789, he published “Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African.” It became a popular best seller and made Equiano rich. The book influenced the struggle for the abolition of Slave trade and literally created a new literary genre known as slave narratives. Equiano’s narrative was the first autobiographic book published in English by an African. He was also the first African to write about life in African villages and the horrors of slavery. In 1789, Equiano married an Englishwoman named Susan Cullen. He died in London in 1797 at the age of 52. He was buried in Cambridgeshire, England.
At the time of his death, his narrative has been published in nine different editions.
The struggle, survival, and success of Equiano exemplified the best of Africa in the Diaspora. Naming this prize after Equiano is more of tribute to a man who was the first to tell the African story in English, the first to challenge the oppressive environment Africans in the Diaspora find themselves and the first to overcome the obstacles and make a success of himself. In another way, it is a commitment to the discovery, celebration and preservation of the African experience in the Diaspora.
The Judges
Okey Ndibe
Wale Adebanwi
Obiwu
Judges
For the second in this annual prize, the judges will be:
a.) Okey Ndibe is an Associate Professor of Literature and Languages, Simon’s Rock College of Bard, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Ndibe is the author of Arrows of Rain and a columnist for Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper.
b.) Wale Adebanwi, until recently, was a lecturer in Political Science (University of Ibadan), and currently Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar at the Cambridge University, England. He is a writer and literary critic.
c.) Obiwu, Director, The Writing Center, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. Obiwu is the author of Igbos of Northern Nigeria.
