By Ibrahim Ramalan
Just recently, a shortlist for the 2016 Caine prize was announced and the list includes past winner, Tope Folarin alongside Abdul Adan (Somalia/Kenya) for ‘The Lifebloom Gift’, Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) for ‘What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky’. Bongani Kona (Zimbabwe) for ‘At your Requiem’, Lidudumalingani (South Africa) for ‘Memories we Lost’.
This time, a lot of attention now goes to Tope folarin, a Nigerian author who won the Caine prize for African writing in 2013 and was named as one of the most promising African writers under 39 in 2014, is one of five writers shortlisted for this year’s award.
Just minutes after the announcement, James Murua, Kenyan writer and literary enthusiast, says on his Facebook page,” Shocker! 2013 Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin makes 2016 Caine Prize shortlist. #WeNeedNewCaines”
As such, he is now being shortlisted for the second time and chances are that he may likely emerge as the winner for his short story ‘Genesis’, about a boy coming to terms with his mother’s abuse. It is in that light Praxis.com gather reactions from readers.
Oris Aigbokhaevbolo, writer and film critic, breaks the news on his Facebook page thus:”Pardon the interruption. Looks like Nigeria is back to the Caine Prize. Including a repeat offender…”
For Isaac Attah Ogezi, Legal Adviser of the Association of Nigerian Authors, it doesn’t matter if a past winner makes a re-appearance, “Should mediocrity be promoted in the name of new names?” he asks.
But Ugandan poet Harriet Anena counters, “I think those who win the Prize shouldn’t be allowed to compete again! There’s something wrong about this ‘retake’ things.”
While the debate (campaign?) for #WeNeedNewCaines is on, Tope Folarin, the 2013 winner of the prize on the shortlist expresses gratitude on his Facebook page:
“Thanks for all the love! I’m really pleased to be on the shortlist for the Caine Prize again this year. And please check out the other stories as well. They’re incredibly impressive!”
Talking about the entries this year, chair of the judges, Deila Jarret-Macauley, notes that there has been “a general shift away from politics towards more intimate subjects…”
However, here is what readers think of the shortlisted stories: Soogun Omoniyi said:”What is it with Caine prize and brain-scattering stories? How about last year’s The Sack- I didn’t even realize I’d started the main story until I finished it. Or is there a secret writing elixir I don’t know?
“Anyway, I really enjoyed Memories We Lost. And I won’t mind Tope winning it again. But then, I won’t be shocked if What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky grabs the prize; after all, Serpell did. My phobia for The Sack hasn’t resolved totally.”
To Chibuihe-Light Obi, the truth is: “I am reading the 2016 Caine Prize shortlist, Memories We Lost. Maybe you don’t know how stories that treat mental illness touch me. There’s some gem here.”
“Lesley Arimah. The Caine Prize is hers. This is something Dan Brown would write. Tope Folarin’s story isn’t bad either…Lesley still does it for me,” Victor Enesi Ipemida emphasized.
Isaac Attah Ogezi took time to explain thus: “I have read four of the stories on this year’s shortlist… Bongani Korna’s At Your Requiem is a great psychological story and belongs to the school of naturalism. Tope Folarin’s ‘Genesis’ is a psychological story of alienation of immigrants in the USA but not properly handled though the language is flowery and great.
“Abdul Adan’s ‘The Lifebloom Gift’ is a science fiction that is saved by good craft and language. Lidudumalingani’s ‘Memories We Lost’ is also on schizophrenia and its impact on the lives of two sisters. It is the only traditional story of the four I have read but the least, perhaps because of the preference for modern stories other than the well-made short stories of Alan Edgar Poe’s time.
“I am yet to read Lesley Nneka Arimah’s ‘What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky’. So far my preference is Kona’s story as number one followed by Folarin’s, Adan’s and Lidudumalingani’s,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, The Caine Prize for African Writing is, perhaps, the most prestigious literary prize in Africa. The £10,000 prize, named after late Sir Michael Caine – former Chairman of Booker plc. – is in its 16th year and has produced names like Leila Aboulela, Helon Habila and Binyavanga Wainaina. Zambian Namwali Serpell, won the prize last year for her short story called The Sack.
The Caine Prize says its aim is “to bring African writing to a wider audience using our annual literary award.”