The University of Dar es Salaam was alive with literary celebration as the Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature marked a major milestone: ten years of elevating African-language storytelling. Guest of Honour Dr. Riziki Pembe, Zanzibar’s Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, presided over the ceremony to honor the finest novelists, poets, and storytellers shaping the future of Kiswahili literature.
Taking top honors in the Fiction category was Tanzanian author Salim Hussein Ng’anzi for his novel Mwanamkasi Ndio Basi (Mwanamkasi, That’s It!), while Ali Hilal Ali claimed the premier Poetry award for his collection Diwani ya Vizikwa Vya Kale (The Anthology of the Ancient Ruins). Both authors were awarded $5,000 in prize money. The win marks another triumph for Ali, who previously won the fiction category in 2017, a manuscript translated into English by Meg Arenberg, which earned a PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant and is scheduled for publication by the University of Georgia Press in 2027 as The Swallower of Secrets.
In the Short Story Collection category, Kenya’s Dominic Maina Oigo took top honors and $2,500 for Mbunge Mtarajiwa na Hadithi Nyingine (The Member of Parliament Elect and Other Stories). Second-place honors and $2,500 each went to Dickson Damas Mtalaze for his fiction manuscript Shamba la Mawe (Stone Farm) and Lenard Barnaba Mtesigwa for his poetry collection Rima la Miiko na Balaa (The Pit of Taboos and Calamities). This landmark edition also marked a historical milestone, with Maimuna Hashim Maalim becoming the first woman ever shortlisted in the short story collection category.
Selecting the winners from a competitive pool of 230 submissions across seven countries was an esteemed judging panel comprising Prof. Rayya Timammy (University of Nairobi), Dr. Masoud Mohammed (State University of Zanzibar), and Prof. Austin Bukenya (formerly of Makerere University). Speaking on behalf of the panel, Prof. Timammy noted that the exceptional caliber of writing demonstrates how rapidly literary talent in Kiswahili continues to flourish.
Supported by Safal Group through its subsidiaries Mabati Rolling Mills in Kenya and ALAF in Tanzania, the prize was founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree and Dr. Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ to nurture writing in indigenous languages and encourage translation. The impact extends far beyond the trophy: winning entries will be considered for publication by Tanzania’s Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, which has already published over 25 books through the initiative, while winning poetry will be translated into English by the African Poetry Book Fund.
To celebrate the milestone, Mkuki na Nyota has also released two special 10th-anniversary anthologies, Tunu Mpya and Hazina Mpya, showcasing work from all former first-prize winners.