Makena Onjerika (born 1980s) is a Kenyan writer, who won the 2018

Caine Prize for African Writing The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best original short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. The £10,000 prize was founded in the United Kingdom in 20 ...

, making her the fourth writer from her country to do so—following wins by

Binyavanga Wainaina Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina (18 January 1971 – 21 May 2019) was a Kenyan author, journalist and 2002 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. In April 2014, ''Time'' magazine included Wainaina in its annual ''Time'' 100 as one of the "Mo ...

in 2002 and

Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (born 1968) is a Kenyan writer who is the author of novels, short stories and essays. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing for her story "Weight of Whispers". Education and professional life Born in Nairobi, Ken ...

in 2003, and Okwiri Oduor in 2013.

Career

In July 2018, Makena won the 2018

– often described as Africa's leading literary award, for her short story entitled "Fanta Blackcurrant", published in '' Wasafiri '' magazine (2017). The Chair of the Caine Prize judging panel, award-winning Ethiopian-American novelist and writer

Dinaw Mengestu Dinaw Mengestu (ዲናው መንግስቱ) (born 30 June 1978) is an Ethiopian-American novelist and writer. In addition to three novels, he has written for ''Rolling Stone'' on the war in Darfur, and for ''Jane Magazine'' on the conflict in north ...

, announced Makena as the winner of the £10,000 prize at an award dinner. The ceremony was held for the second time in

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

's Senate House, in partnership with

SOAS SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

and the Centre for African Studies. Mengestu praised the story in his remarks, saying: "...the winner of this year’s Caine Prize is as fierce as they come – a narrative forged but not defined by the streets of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, a story that stands as more than just witness. Makena Onjerika’s 'Fanta Blackcurrant' presides over a grammar and architecture of its own making, one that eschews any trace of sentimentality in favour of a narrative that is haunting in its humour, sorrow and intimacy." Makena is a graduate of the MFA Creative Writing programme at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, and has been published in ''Urban Confusions'' and ''Wasafiri''. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and is currently working on a fantasy novel. She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

'', edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

. Makena founded the Nairobi Fiction Writing Workshop and edited the anthology ''Digital Bedbugs'', composed of the stories from the workshop.

References

External links

"Makena Onjerika wins the 2018 Caine Prize"
''BBC World Service'', 3 July 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Onjerika, Makena Living people 21st-century Kenyan women writers 21st-century Kenyan writers Caine Prize winners Kenyan women writers Kenyan writers Writers from Nairobi Year of birth missing (living people)