WEALTH OF IDEAS

Deborah Ahenkorah is the co-founder of the fast-growing Baobab Prize, which is now in its second year. The inaugural award drew participation from nine African countries. The winners were Lauri Kubuitsile from Botswana with "Lorato and her Wire Car", the best story written for readers aged 8-11 years; Ivor W. Hartmann from Zimbabwe with "Mr. Goop", the best story written for readers aged 12-15 years and Aisha Kibwana from Kenya, the most promising young writer with "Strange Visitors that took her Life Away". Based on what Debbie says in this interview, this award will revolutionize African writing and reading. 1. What can you tell us about yourself? My name is Deborah Ahenkorah and I’m Ghanaian. Lately, I have come to be given the name ‘Debbie from Ghana!’ Now let me tell you that story: My South African friend Ntshadi, before I met her, once stopped to eat in a restaurant at a random location somewhere in mid-USA. When the waitress discovered she was fro...

July 31, 2009 - This week marks the launch of the second annual Baobab Prize, an international literary award established to encourage the writing of African literature for young readers. “The success of our inaugural year gives us confidence as we launch today. We received entries from nine African countries and our participating writers ranged in age from eleven to sixty-four years. It is clear that the Baobab Prize is here to stay and to revolutionize African literature as we know it,” said the co-founder and director of the prize, Ghanaian Deborah Ahenkorah. The Baobab Prize invites entries of unpublished African short stories written for audiences either 8-11 years or 12-15 years. This year the prize will award $1,000 to the best story in each category and $800 to the most promising young writer (18 years and below). Also all short-listed stories will be considered for publication. The Baobab Prize is open to African citizens of all ages. Deadline for submission is April 15, 2010...