More story books for African children

As part of celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Children’s Book Project (CBP) that took place recently in Dar es Salaam, three winners of the Burt Award for African Literature (BAAL) Project scooped top prizes.

 The award with the objective of supporting and motivating the development of supplementary reading materials for a critical stage of learning the transition period between mother tongue and English medium instruction was organised by the CBP. The award giving ceremony brought together education stakeholders who also witnessed the launch of the guidebook Mbinu Saba and the book exhibition. 

According to the information available from the CBP the award further aims at stimulating and supporting the African Publishing industry and the development of African literature, and increasing the stock of English readers in established schools and other libraries. 

Speaking at the ceremony the Chairperson of the CBP Abdullah Saiwaad said that, in 1998 they held first book week with the theme Developing the Reading Habit. The seminar informed them that 90 per cent of the books in the children’s section could not be used by 90 per cent of the children’s library users. These were mainly in English. 

Adding to that he said, as a way of promoting reading culture among the children the  following year they  had another book festival with the theme, “Children’s book our top priority,” and instead of using seminars they switched to hands on workshop to evaluate children’s books.

Pili Dumea, the Secretary of the CBP said that Burt award is a combination of a writing competition and a book prize. Therefore, CBP receive Manuscripts for consideration. Followed by a shortlist of 3 titles and names of the shortlisted titles are publicized.

Adding to that she says after that, authors continue working on their manuscripts with editorial support from publishers until the works are fully edited and proofread. Each title has its own timeline depending on how much rewriting and editing work is needed. The jury re-reads the selection of finalists and then ranks the titles for 1st, 2nd and 3rdprize.

The winners of the BAAL award competition went to late Edwin Semzaba first postion with his book The Adventure Tunda and Zamaradi, the second prize went to William Mkufya with the book The Raid and the Eclipse, and the third prize went Elias Mutani with his book Human Poachers,. 

Apart from the recognition the winners took home cash prize. The first winner took Sh15 million, the second winner took Sh11.7 and Sh 8 million to the third winner.

Presenting the acceptance speech of behalf of late Semzaba, Saiwaad Said who knew Semzaba since university days said that In 2007 Semzaba participated in the Children’s Adventure Novel Writing Competition organized by the Children’s Book Project (CBP) at the request of the Swedish Embassy in Tanzania to commemorate 100 years since the publication of Swedish children’s adventure classic novel, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson, written by the nobel laureate Selma Lageröf.

Adding to that he says, in that competition late Semzaba emerged the first winner with his book titled Marimba ya Majaliwa. In his acceptance speech Said quoted Semzaba “It is with great gratitude that today I receive a literary award of enormous proportions after emerging the winner. Indeed the four month stint I used to write the adventure story was equally adventurous. Adventurous in the sense that I had to enter the world of children in a marathon journey covering the 26 regions that make Tanzania. We both enjoyed the journey: me and my little hero Majaliwa.” 

“I remember on one of the last visits to his house at Mbezi with a colleague, he laughed when he came downstairs and commented, “Ah, so you have come with this guy with a very English name!” He must have been in pain but he did not show it. Then he complained about editors always changing what he had written. He rather liked the title, The Poisoned Mushrooms,” says Said.

Commenting on the BURT award Willima Mkufya, second winner, thanked the sponsor for the award since the first round of submissions in 2010. Also for bringing back to life a literary gem that had already started to die while it was in its infancy.

“With my first novel The Wicked Walk published in 1977 Tanzania Printing House, I was among the first contributors to the Tanzanian literary scene of the early 70’s (writing novels in English). 

After these first attempts and very few others that followed, the gem started to wilt when writing in Kiswahili picked up pace. I also switched to writing in Kiswahili,” says Mkufya. 

Giving advice to young authors he says, an idea in the head is a wisp of wind, often you sense its motion away; without a notebook, it shall clear away. Computers are generally stupid, but they beat us by their extent of memory and easy access.

He further says an author has to defend a book and not a manuscript, money may come after selling a book but not before it is written and sold. Writing it has nothing to do with the money although selling it has much to do with the writing. 

 The shortlisted authors for next year’s competition are Hussein Kayela with the titled manuscript Far From Home, Nahda Ismail Aiming Summit and Juma Mwamgilani Good Intention Evil Deeds.