Short Story Day Africa has announced the longlist for their seventh annual prize.

For the 2019 Prize, SSDA called for stories on the theme of Disruption, ‘especially but not limited to climate and environ[mental] disruption’.

The resulting anthology from the longlisted entries, Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa, will be edited by Rachel Zadok, founder of Short Story Day Africa and author of Sister-Sister and Gem Squash Tokoloshe.

The longlist features stories from nine different African countries, including for the first time Libya and Sierra Leone.

The shortlist – first, second, and third place – will be announced in 2021.

The 2019/2020 Short Story Day Africa longlist

1. ‘A Defiant Departure’ by MacSmart Ojiludu – Nigeria

2. ‘Another Zombie Story’ by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola – Nigeria

3. ‘Armando’s Virtuous Crime’ by Najwa Bin Shatwan translated into English by Sawad Hussain – Libya

4. ‘Before the Rains Came’ by Nadia Ahidjo-Iya – Cameroon

5. ‘Before We Die Unwritten’ by Innocent Ilo – Nigeria

6. ‘Between the Hard Earth and Dry Heaven’ by Melusi Nkomo – Zimbabwe

7. ‘Dɔrə’s Song’ by Victor Forna – Sierra Leone

8. ‘Enough’ by Nicholas Dawn – South Africa

9. ‘The Fishtank Crab’ by Genna Gardini – South Africa

10. ‘The Girl Named Uku/phaza/mi/se/ka’ by Philisiwe Twijnstra – South Africa

11. ‘The Girl Who Always Laughed’ by Doreen Anyango – Uganda

12. ‘Kin’ by Masiyaleti Mbewe – Zambia

13. ‘Laatlammer’ by Julia Louw – South Africa

14. ‘Lycaon Pictus’ by Liam Brickhill – Zimbabwe

15. ‘The Mother’ by Jacob M’hango – Zambia

16. ‘Objects in the Mirror Are Stranger Than They Appear’ by Kevin Mogotsi – Botswana

17. ‘Shelter’ by Mbozi Haimbe – Zambia

18. ‘The Sound of Betrayal’ by Idza Luhumyo – Botswana

19. ‘Static’ by Alithnayn Abdulkareem – Nigeria

20. ‘Waiting to Die’ by Yefon Isabelle – Cameroon

21. ‘When the Levees Break’ by Edwin Okolo – Nigeria

Categories Africa Fiction

Tags News Short Stories Short Story Day Africa