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Tag: Algeria’s Minister of Culture and Arts

  • Karavan Press bags Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa 2025

    Karavan Press bags Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa 2025

    …Karavan Press was recognised for its book In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose, winning the $20,000 top prize

    Karavan Press, an independent publisher based in Cape Town, South Africa is the winner of the 2025 edition of the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa that celebrates and recognises outstanding contributions of African publishers and authors to the literary world.

    Karavan Press was recognised for its book In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose, winning the $20,000 top prize. The Prize was presented by Algeria’s Minister of Culture and Arts Azzedine Mihoubi during an award ceremony held during the ongoing Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers. Finalists received $2,000 each.

    The Prize is a joint initiative of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an intervention by African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with Narrative Landscape Press Limited. It aims to showcase the literary and publishing value chain in Africa and developing literary talent across the continent and the Diaspora.

    “Through the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa, we continue to strengthen Africa’s creative economy by elevating publishers and amplifying African narratives to global audiences. Besides the Prize, we deliver a Pan-African writing workshop, and e-newsletter highlighting African literature, to spotlight and elevate the African book value chain,” said Afreximbank’s Director for Intra African Trade and Export Development (Creatives and Diaspora), Temwa Gondwe.

    Now in its second year, the Prize attracted over 80 submissions from across the continent, reflecting the diversity and vitality of African storytelling. Publishers submitted trade books published for a general audience and widely available through libraries and bookstores. The entries spanned fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, in hardcover and paperback, with an emphasis on works printed and published on the continent and written in indigenous languages. Entries could be in one or more of the official languages of the African Union: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and any other African language. Submissions were judged on the quality of writing, editing and production.

    The jury comprised Dr. Boukenna Abdelaziz, Professor of History at Algiers University; Lavaille Lavette, President of JVL Media; and Prof. Egara Kabaji, Professor of Literary Communication at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. The jury lauded the outstanding quality of writing, editing, and production.

    The Prize is one of the activities under the CANEX Book Factory, an annual programme of events under Afreximbank’s CANEX initiative culminating in the awards ceremony. Last year, Cassava Republic Press (Nigeria) won the top prize during the inaugural edition of the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa for the book Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence by Pumla Dineo Gqola.

    CANEX at IATF is billed as the largest gathering of creatives from Africa and the Diaspora across value chains of diverse creative and cultural industries from film, music, and fashion to culinary arts, sports, and visual arts amongst others. The weeklong summit has convened continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services, and to explore business and investment opportunities within the rapidly expanding creative economy. It is being held as part of IATF2025, hosted by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and co-convened by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. The weeklong event is projected to facilitate trade and investment deals worth over US$44 billion.

    IATF is a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and services to visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. IATF aims to tap into opportunities from AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people and GDP of over US$3.5 trillion. The ongoing IATF2025 is its fourth edition with the last three editions of IATF cumulatively generating over $118 billion in trade and investment deals and attracting more than 70,000 visitors and 4,500 exhibitors

  • Cassava Republic Press named the inaugural winner of Afreximbank’s CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, 2024

    Cassava Republic Press named the inaugural winner of Afreximbank’s CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, 2024

    …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

    Afreximbank’s 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.