Afreximbank’s (www.Afreximbank.com) CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a partnership between the CANEX Book Factory and the Narrative Landscape Press Limited announced Cassava Republic Press, Nigeria as its inaugural winner for the 2024 CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa.

The award, which celebrates excellence in African publishing, recognised Cassava Republic Press for their book Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy's Culture of Violence by Pumla Dineo Gqola. The book was recognised for its striking cover design, elegant layout, and reader-friendly text. It was also lauded for its imaginative approach to gender issues, offering a compelling contribution to feminist literature.

Female Fear Factory explores how patriarchal society fosters violence against women, providing both a sobering account of this violence and a hopeful vision for the work of feminists worldwide. The award, which included a $20,000 prize, was presented at CANEX WKND 2024 in Algiers, Algeria, during a dinner hosted by the Honourable Soraya Mouloudji, Algeria’s Minister of Culture and Arts.

The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, launched in Cairo in November 2023 on the sidelines of the Intra African Trade Fair (IATF2023), aims to promote a vibrant literary culture across Global Africa and foster a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector. CANEX, initiated by Afreximbank in 2020, serves as a key driver for development and job creation in Africa, recognising the opportunities within the creative and cultural industries.

The award evaluates entries based on the quality of writing, editing, and production, with particular emphasis on books printed and produced in Africa, as well as those published in indigenous African languages. This year, 85 entries were received from 49 publishers across Africa, representing a diverse range of languages, including English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili. From these submissions, the prize administrators selected five finalists for their exceptional work. The finalists included:

• Cassava Republic Press (Nigeria), shortlisted for Female Fear Factory: Unravelling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence by Pumla Dineo Gqola, was praised for its “solid cover design, elegant layout, and contribution to feminist literature.”  Layla Mohamed, Editor at Cassava Republic, received the award on behalf of the publishing house.
• Jacana Media (South Africa) was honoured for Paperless by Buntu Siwisa, which the judges described as “a beautifully written story of the hidden lives of migrant workers in Africa.” Kelly Mawa, Publishing Assistant at Jacana Media, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
• Kachifo Limited (Nigeria), recognised for Half Hour Hara by Ugo Anidi, was celebrated for being “a delightful and engaging children’s story” with “well-crafted illustrations.” Coco Anetor-Sokei, Managing Editor, collected the award for Kachifo Limited.
• La Case des Lucioles (Côte d’Ivoire), shortlisted for Reine Or by Fatou Sy, was praised for its “brave design and theatrical presentation.”
• Masobe Books (Nigeria) was shortlisted for When We Were Fireflies by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, which the judges commended for its “meticulous writing and eye-catching cover design.” Othuke Ominiabohs, Managing Director, received the medal for Masobe Books.

The awards were presented to the finalists by Honourable Mouloudji and Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of the Intra-African Trade Bank at Afreximbank.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Chair of The Judges, Dr Wale Okediran said;

“In line with our mandate to ‘judge the book as a physical object while also paying attention to its editorial work, including topical relevance and editorial risk’, the judges recognised the selected books as having met the required standard of ‘exceptional work and professionalism.”

The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa rewards the best trade book publishers in Africa. A prize of $20,000 is awarded to the publisher – selected from a shortlist of five (5) finalists – of the best trade book (defined as books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; and excluding textbooks and academic books) published in the year in question. Additionally, the remaining four (4) finalists in the shortlist are awarded the amount of $2,000 each.