Africa39 was a collaborative project initiated by the Hay Festival in partnership with Rainbow Book Club,Africa39 Partners , Hay Festival. celebrating Port Harcourt: UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 by identifying 39 of the most promising writers under the age of 40 with the potential and talent to define trends in the development of literature from Africa and the African diaspora."About Africa39", Hay Festival."Imagine the World", Africa39, Hay Festival. Launched in 2014, Africa39 followed the success of two previous Hay Festival initiatives linked to World Book Capital cities, Bogotá39 (2007) and Beirut39 (2009).
The judges for Africa39 were Margaret Busby, Osonye Tess Onwueme and Elechi Amadi, selecting from submissions researched by Binyavanga Wainaina. The writers' names were announced at the London Book Fair on 8 April 2014.Caroline Carpenter, "Africa39 list of promising writers revealed", The Bookseller, 8 April 2014.
An anthology entitled Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara,Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara at Amazon. featuring work by the 39 selected writers, was published by Bloomsbury in October 2014, edited by Ellah Wakatama Allfrey and with a preface by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka."Africa39 Book Launch" , South Bank Centre, 12 October 2014.Margaret Busby, "Africa39" , Commonwealth Writers (blog), 13 October 2014."Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara", Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014, .Malcolm Forbes, "Continental drift: Africa39, an anthology of writing from south of the Sahara, is too good to miss", The National (Abu Dhabi), 23 October 2014. Containing excerpts from published novels and works-in-progress as well as complete short stories, according to Stephanie Santana's review: "It is an anthology that refuses to be a thematic container for, or a survey of, new African writing. Instead, it is a truly 'plural text' with many entrances, exits, and detours.""Review: ‘Africa39’ – The Anthology and the Reader", Africa in Words, 6 January 2015.
The list
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie"Spotlight on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 'My family says to me, "Oh, you're such a man!"'", Africa39 Blog, 9 April 2015. (Nigeria) Richard Ali A Mutu (Democratic Republic of Congo) Monica Arac de Nyeko"Reading the Africa39 anthology: 'The Banana Eater' by Monica Arac de Nyeko", Africa39 Blog, 31 December 2014. (Uganda) Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) Eileen Barbosa"Reading the Africa39 anthology: 'Two Fragments of Love' by Eileen Almeida Barbosa", Africa39 Blog, 17 January 2015. (Cape Verde) A. Igoni Barrett (Nigeria) Jackee Budesta Batanda (Uganda) Recaredo Silevo Boturu (Equatorial Guinea) Nana Brew-Hammond"Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond: 'A shower is a daily reminder of a metaphorical truth...'", Africa39 Blog, 28 May 2015. (Ghana/US) Shadreck Chikoti (Malawi) Edwige-Renée Dro (Ivory Coast) Tope Folarin"Spotlight on Tope Folarin: 'I don't want to continue being and artist for long'", Africa39 Blog, 10 March 2015 . (Nigeria/US) Clifton Gachagua"Clifton Gachagua: 'A definition of Kenyan identity has to have in it our continuous state of mourning'", Africa39 Blog, 12 April 2015. (Kenya) Stanley Gazemba (Kenya) Mehul Gohil (Kenya) Hawa Jande Golakai (Liberia) Shafinaaz Hassim (South Africa) Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Nigeria) Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi/Switzerland) Dinaw Mengestu"Spotlight on Dinaw Mengestu", Africa39 Blog, 3 May 2015. (Ethiopia/US) Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia/UK) Nthikeng Mohlele (South Africa) Linda Musita (Kenya) Sifiso Mzobe (South Africa) Glaydah Namukasa (Uganda) Kioko Ndinda"Reading the Africa39 anthology: 'Sometime Before Maulidi' by Ndinda Kioko", Africa39 Blog, 14 February 2015. (Kenya) Okwiri Oduor"Reading the Africa39 Anthology: 'Rag Doll' by Okwiri Oduor", Africa39 Blog, 7 December 2014. (Kenya) Ukamaka Olisakwe (Nigeria) Ondjaki (Luanda, Angola/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria) Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Ghana/UK) Taiye Selasi" Spotlight: Taiye Selasi's answer to 'Where are you from?'", Africa39 Blog, 28 February 2015. (Ghana/Nigeria/UK/Italy) Namwali Serpell (Zambia/US) Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria) Novuyo Rosa Tshuma (Zimbabwe/South Africa) Chika Unigwe (Nigeria/Belgium/US) Zukiswa Wanner"Spotlight: Who is Zukiswa Wanner?", Africa39 Blog, 18 March 2015. (Zambia/South Africa/Zimbabwe/Kenya) Mary Watson (South Africa/Ireland) Mohamed Yunus Rafiq (Tanzania)
References
External links Africa39 at Hay Festival website. Margaret Busby, "Africa39: how we chose the writers for Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014", The Guardian Books Blog, 10 April 2014. James Murua, "What happened to the 'most promising writers' of Africa39? – Part 1", Writing Africa, 7 May 2019; and "What happened to the 'most promising writers' of Africa39? – Part 2", Writing Africa, 8 May 2019. James Murua, "Africa39: What have the writers been up to since 2014?", Writing Africa, 19 April 2024.