Caine Prize quote

WORKSHOPS

Caine Prize workshops are held in Africa for writers who have been shortlisted for the Caine Prize and others who have come to our attention through the selection process. Each workshop consists of 12 writers from different African countries who convene for ten days to read and discuss work in progress and to learn from two more experienced writers who act as tutors or animateurs.


Each participant is expected to write a short story for publication in the annual Caine Prize anthology and these stories are automatically entered for the following year's Prize.


Please note that participation in the workshops is by invitation only.


Participants have benefitted enormously from working with other African writers as few of them have the opportunity to meet writers from other African countries or have their work commented upon by those more experienced. They maintain contact with one another thereafter, exchanging texts and critical comments by e-mail and thus establishing a network of aspirant writers in anglophone Africa.


One workshop participant was shortlisted in 2006 and another highly commended by the judges in 2007. The 2007 winner, Monica Arac de Nyeko from Uganda, had participated in our 2005 workshop, and the 2008 winner, Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa), was at the workshop that year, as was our 2010 winner, Olufemi Terry, from Sierra Leone.


Although each workshop is by nature a retreat there is an open-day halfway through providing an opportunity for the participants to meet other local writers and interested personalities, and a public reading at the end of the workshop to reach a wider audience.


We have held ten such workshops to date, one a year from 2003, four of them in South Africa, four in Kenya, one in Ghana and one in Cameroon. The 2012 workshop was held in South Africa and further workshops are planned elsewhere in Africa in the coming years.

2012 Workshop
(South Africa)

Animateurs:
Henrietta Rose-Innes
Jamal Mahjoub

Participants: 
Mehul Gohil

Grace Khunou
Lauri Kubuitsile (shortlist 2011)

Beatrice Lamwaka (shortlist 2011)
Brenda Mukami
Tendai Rinos Mwanaka
Waigwa Ndiangui
Yewande Omotoso
Rehana Roussouw
Rachel Zadok

2011 Workshop (Cameroon)

Animateurs:
Jamal Mahjoub
Véronique Tadjo

Participants: 
Jide Adebayo-Begun
Ken Barris (shortlist 2003 & 2010)
Shadreck Chikoti
Dona Forbin
Lawrence Kadzitche
Monique Kwachou
Beatrice Lamwaka
Ayodele Morocco-Clarke
Elizabeth Ngozi Okpalaenwe
Namwali Serpall (shortlist 2010)
Alex Smith (shortlist 2010)
Olufemi Terry (Winner 2010)

2010 Workshop (Kenya)

Animateurs:
Véronique Tadjo
Jamal Mahjoub

Participants: 
Ovo Adagha
Alnoor Amlani
Jude Dibia
Mamle Kabu (shortlist 2009)
Stanley Onjezani Kenani (shortlist 2008)
Samuel Munene
Clifford Chianga Oluoch
Gill Schierhout (shortlist 2008)
Vuyo Seripe
Valerie Tagwira
Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Molara Wood

2009 Workshop (Ghana)

Animateurs:
Aminatta Forna
Jamal Mahjoub

Participants:
Franka-Maria Andoh

Ayesha Harruna
Brian James
Blessing Musariri
Naseehu Ali
Thabisani Ndlovu
Henrietta Rose-Innes (Winner 2008)
Mohamed Gibril Sesay
Alba K Sumprim
Uche Peter Umez
Uzor Maxim Uzoatu (shortlist 2008)

2008 Workshop (South Africa)

Animateurs:
Aminatta Forna
Jamal Mahjoub

Participants: 
Monica Arac de Nyeko (Winner 2007)
Ellen Banda-Aaku
Karen Hurt
Kingwa Kamencu
Russell H Kaschula
Jacqueline Lebo
Kgaogelo Lekota
Kaume Marambii
Wame Molefhe
Henrietta Rose-Innes (Winner 2008)
Olufemi Terry (Winner 2010)
Ada Udechukwu

Archive