The four finalists for the 2026 Prix Ahmadou Kourouma have been announced, with the winner set to be revealed on 20 March at the Geneva Salon du Livre. In the running are Bilguissa Diallo for Transhumances (Éditions Elyzad), Libar M. Fofana for La prière du cochon (Gallimard), In Koli Jean Bofane for Nation cannibale (Éditions Denoël), and Maurice Bandaman for Sœurs esclaves (Présence Africaine Éditions / Éditions Eburnie).

Awarded annually at the Geneva Book Fair since 2004, the prize celebrates French-language fiction by writers from sub-Saharan Africa or of sub-Saharan African descent, honouring work that carries forward the values of independence, clarity, and vision that defined the writing and life of the Ivorian novelist whose name it bears. The winner receives a cash prize of CHF 5,000. The roll of past laureates is a distinguished one, including Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, David Diop, Scholastique Mukasonga, Hemley Boum, and Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse. Last year, Véronique Tadjo took the prize for Je remercie la nuit, published by Mémoire d’encrier.

Following the ceremony in Geneva, the winner will head to Basel’s Literaturhaus on 23 March for a conversation about their work and the state of contemporary sub-Saharan African literature. The event, conducted in French, is organised in partnership with the Salon du Livre, the University of Basel’s African Studies programme, and its French Department.