The longlist for the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa 2024 has been announced!

With 85 submissions from 45 publishers across 10 African countries, this year’s prize competition was especially fierce. The entries, representing a variety of languages including English, Portuguese, Swahili, and French, showcased the diversity and vibrancy of African literature.

The CANEX Prize was launched this year. It offers a grand prize of $20,000 to the winner and $2,000 to each finalist. It is open to books by publishers based in Africa and published within the preceding year. The award is a welcome attempt to rally the support of the African publishing industry behind books published on the continent.

Here is the selected longlist:

  1. The Presidents…From Mandela to Ramaphosa, Leadership in the Age of Crisis by Richard Calland and Mabel Sithole, published by Penguin Random House SA
  2. Widows Wear Lipstick: Navigating Grief and Finding Meaning After Loss by Martha Kyoshaba Twinamasiko, published by Leap Book Publishers, Ltd.
  3. Reine Or by Fatou Sy, published by La Case des lucioles
  4. The Beautiful Side of the Moon by Leye Adenle, published by Ouida Books
  5. Female Fear Factory: Unravelling Patriarchy’s Cultures of Violence by Pumla Dineo Gqola, published by Cassava Republic Press
  6. The Lion’s Historian: Africa’s Animal Past by Sandra Swart, published by Jacana Media (PTY) Ltd
  7. Sanya by Oyin Olugbile, published by Masobe Books
  8. Avenues by Train by Farai Mudzingwa, published by Cassava Republic Press
  9. Paperless by Buntu Siwisa, published by Jacana Media (PTY) Ltd
  10. When We Were Fireflies by Abubakar Ibrahim, published by Masobe Books
  11. Peaches and Smeets by Ashti Juggath, published Modjaji Books (PTY) Ltd
  12. Half Hour Hara by Ugo Anidi, published by Kachifo Limited
  13. African Odyssey of a Lebanese Emigrant… An Autobiography of Sorts by Habib Jaafar, published by Bookcraft Limited

The recipient of the prize will be presented during CANEX WKND 2024 which is being held from October 16th – October 19th.

We are excited to see all of these African publishers and authors being recognized! Stay tuned to see this year’s winner of the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa Award!

Learn More about the Featured Presses

Penguin Random House SA is “committed to supporting as broad a range of bookselling as possible so our readers can access our content across a multitude of platforms and channels.” Here is their website, Instagram: @penguinbookssouthafrica, and X: @PenguinBooksSA.

Leap Book Publishers, Ltd. is an international publishing company in Uganda and the United States “helping authors and content creators develop and produce high-quality, life-giving written works that will transform the lives of all who interact with it.” Here is their website and Facebook.

La Case des lucioles is a cultural publishing house for literature based in Abidjan in West Africa. Here is their Instagram: @lacasedeslucioles and their Facebook.

Ouida Books is a Nigeria based publishing house “inspired by the pin-tailed Whydah, known for its love of freedom, its courage and undeniable elegance.” Here is their website, Instagram: @ouidabooks, and Facebook.

Cassava Republic Press is a Global publisher of fiction and non-fiction books from Africa. Here is their website, instagram: @cassavarepublicpress, X: @CassavaRepublic, and Facebook.

Jacana Media (PTY) Ltd is at the “cutting edge of critical, adventurous and independent South African literature.” Here is their website, Instagram: @jacanamedia, X: @JacanaMedia, and Facebook.

Masobe Books is a Nigeria based publishing house that aims to “bring beautiful and exciting stories from talented African authors to your doorstep with ease and on time.” Here is their website, Instagram: @masobebooksng, X: @masobebooks, and Facebook.

Modjaji Books (PTY) Ltd is an independent feminist press that publishes southern African women writers. Here is their website, Instagram: @modjajibooks, X: @modjaji_bks, and Facebook.

Kachifo Limited is an independent publishing house based in Nigeria where “African stories [are] told without any self-consciousness or external guidance.” Here is their website. 

Bookcraft Unlimited is a publishing house focused in the Nigerian and African book market. Here is their website, Instagram: @bookcraftafrica, and X: @bookcraftafrica.