Nigerian writer Unoma Azuah and Ugandan poet Stella Nyanzi are among the judges for this year’s Gerald Kraak Prize. The prize and anthology celebrates topics of gender, human rights and sexuality, and awards R 25,000 and publication by Jacana Media to the winner.
The prize was created in honor of the late South African activist Gerald Kraak and his legacy of supporting human rights. Kraak was a passionate champion of social justice, an anti-apartheid activist and the head of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ Reconciliation and Human Rights Programme in South Africa.
The judges for the 2024 anthology and prize are Unoma Azuah, Stella Nyanzi, and Shaun de Waal, all of whom are very active in African queer culture and activism.
Unoma Azuah is a Nigerian writer, author, and activist who primarily focuses on LGBTQ writing in Nigerian literature. She has published Embracing My Shadow: Growing Up Lesbian in Nigeria, Edible Bones, and Sky-High Flames, among others. She has a Bachelor of Art degree in English, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a Master’s in English from Cleveland State University, Ohio, and a Master’s in Fine Art from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
Stella Nyanzi is a Ugandan human rights advocate, poet, medical anthropologist, feminist, queer rights advocate, and scholar of sexuality, family planning, and public health. She has written the poetry collections No Roses from My Mouth and Eulogies from my Mouth recently.
Shaun de Waal was the M&G’s literary editor from 1991 to 2005 and has been its chief film critic since 1998. He is currently the books editor for News24 South Africa. His recent publications include Pride: Protest and Celebration and To Have and to Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa.
Congrats to the judges! Submissions are currently open, so go check out the requirements here.