Uganda’s Harriet Anena and Professor Tanure Ojaide are the joint winners of the Role Soyinka prize for Literature 2018
Ms Anena wrote “A Nation in Labour” which was first launched in 2015 while Prof Ojaide authored “Songs of Myself”
The announcement was made at a ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday
The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, worth US$10,000, about Sh37 million is awarded every two years to the best book written by an African.
After the announcement, Ms Anena wrote on her Twitter handle: “Super happy to be the joint winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, 2018, for my book A Nation in Labour.”
Previous winners of the prize include Sefi Atta for “Everything Good Will Come” in 2006 and Nnedi Okora for, “Zahrah the Wind seeker” in 2008.
This year’s edition of the prize was for poetry and there were 110 submissions from 11 countries on the continent, including Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Rwanda.
A in Labour is described as a collection of social conscience poetry that paints a picture of the giant politician, the restless citizen, the clueless youth, those struggling to heal from life’s scratches and the ones hunting for words to describe fiery flames of affection.

Ugandan Harriet Anena has been making a name for herself in recent years being shortlisted for her prose in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize this year and the Short Story Day Africa 2017 long list.
The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature for Africa is a pan-African writing prize awarded biennially to the best literary work produced by an African.