STORYMOJA

Moraa Gitaa and Mukoma wa Ngugi have been named as shortlisted writers for the Penguin Award in African Writing.

Moraa Gitaa with her book Crucible for Silver & Gold

Moraa Gitaa is an alumni of the Aga Khan High School, Mombasa and the Coast College of Commerce having studied Administration and IT. She is the author of debut novel Crucible for Silver & Furnace for Gold a fictional story that focuses onsocioeconomic issues, HIV-AIDS, Multi-racial relationships, historical land alienation/injustices.
Some quarters have termed the novel as re-reading gender in times of HIV-AIDS.

She was the Winner of the NBDCK (National Book Development Council of Kenya) 2008 1st Prize Adult Fiction category – an excerpt from upcoming novel Shifting Sands (out this September). She has also written a crime fiction novella which will be released in time for this year’s Storymoja Hay Fest .

When we asked her to describe  herself, she said: ‘I am pro-children and pro-women. I live and breath writing – I will die if I don’t write! I read upto five books at a go.’

Having received approximately 250 submissions in the fiction category and 50 in the non-fiction category from countries all over Africa, Penguin Books South Africa is pleased to announce the names of the shortlisted authors for the inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing. This award seeks to highlight the diverse writing talent on the African continent and make new African fiction and non-fiction available to a wider readership.

The shortlisted authors for the Penguin Prize for African Writing are:

Fiction

Ellen Aaku (Zambia)
Moraa Gitaa (Kenya)
Chika Ezeanya (Nigeria)
Shubnum Khan (South Africa)
Isabella Morris (South Africa)
M?koma wa Ng?g? (Kenya)

Non-fiction

Pius Adesanmi (Nigeria)
Andrew Barlow (South Africa)
Ruth Carneson (South Africa)
Ahmed Mortiar (South Africa)
Tanure Ojaide (Nigeria)
Anli Serfontein (South Africa)
Tebogo Tlharipe (South Africa)