Petina Gappah, the Zimbabwean writer and one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary African fiction, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Flora Nwapa Literary Society Award.

The award, presented annually by the Flora Nwapa Society, an international organisation affiliated with the African Literature Association, founded in 1997 to preserve and promote the legacy of Flora Nwapa as the Mother of African Women’s Literature recognises individuals who have distinguished themselves in writing and publishing in Africa or the African diaspora, and is also open to academics, public figures, journalists, and individuals from the world of arts and entertainment. Past recipients include Toni Morrison and Tsitsi Dangarembga.

Gappah received the news with characteristic warmth and candour, writing on social media:

“I’m thrilled to be the 2026 recipient of the Flora Nwapa Literary Society Award. I’m honoured to be given an award that honours the first African woman ever published. I’m also stoked beyond belief as the award was also given to one of my household goddesses, Toni Morrison. This award comes at an important moment for me as a writer. I see it as affirmation.”

She also thanked Kenyan writer Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, who nominated her for the honour.

The award is named for Flora Nwapa, whose 1966 novel Efuru was the first internationally published novel written by a female African author. That Gappah, a writer whose own work has helped to reshape how Zimbabwean and African literature is read globally, should be recognised by a society built around that particular legacy is a fitting alignment. Her novel Out of Darkness, Shining Light, a reimagining of the journey to return David Livingstone’s body across Africa as narrated by two of his African companions, remains one of the most formally audacious works of recent African fiction.

Gappah will not be able to attend the ceremony in person in Knoxville, Tennessee, but expressed deep gratitude to Dr. Marie Umeh and the Flora Nwapa Society for the recognition. The award, she said, comes at an important moment.