The Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African Poetry, established in 1989, rewards a writer who is distinguished by an innovative poetic work, of high artistic value. The prize is named after Congolese writer

Tchicaya U Tam'si Tchicaya U Tam'si (born Gérald-Félix Tchicaya 25 August 1931 - 22 April 1988) was a Congolese author; his pen name means "small paper that speaks for its country" in Kikongo. Life Born in Mpili, near Brazzaville, French Equatorial Africa (n ...

(1931–1988). It was created during the Assilah city's Forum (

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

), on the initiative of Muhammad Benaissa, former Moroccan Minister of Culture and current Mayor of Assilah. The prize is generally awarded in August, during the international and cultural moussem (festival) of Assilah. Alioune Badara Beye chaired the jury of the 2014 edition.

Winners

* 1989 : Edouard Maunick (

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

) * 1990 : Jean-Luc Raharimanana (

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

) * 1991 :

René Depestre René Depestre (born 29 August 1926, Jacmel, Haiti) is a Haitian poet and former communist activist. He is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in Haitian literature. He lived in Cuba as an exile from the Duvalier regime for ma ...

(

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

) * 1993 :

Mazisi Kunene Mazisi (Raymond) Kunene (12 May 1930 – 11 August 2006) was a South African poet best known for his translation of the epic Zulu poem '' Emperor Shaka the Great''. While in exile from South Africa's apartheid regime, Kunene was an active suppo ...

(South Africa) * 1996 : Ahmed Abdel Muti Hijazi (or Mo'ti Higazi) (

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

) * 1999 :

Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard (15 December 1938 – 4 July 2009) was a Congolese politician and poet. Having previously served as Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Arts and Culture, he was Minister of Hydrocarbons in the government of Co ...

(

Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

) * 2001 :

Vera Duarte Vera Valentina Benrós de Melo Duarte Lobo de Pina (born October 2, 1952), also known as Vera Duarte Martins, is a Cape Verdean human rights activist, government minister and politician. Biography Duarte was born in Mindelo on the island of Sã ...

(

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

) * 2004 : Abdelkarim Tabbal (

) * 2008 :

Niyi Osundare Niyi Osundare is a leading African poet, dramatist, linguist, and literary critic. Born on March 12, 1947, in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria, his poetry is influenced by the oral poetry of his Yoruba culture, which he capaciously hybridizes with other poetic ...

(

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) * 2011 :

Fama Diagne Sène Fama Diagne Sène (born 1969, Thiès) is a Senegalese writer. Educated in Thiès, she became a teacher there. Ken Bugul listed her among "illustrious women" in Senegalese literature. In 1997, she won the presidential award for art and literature ...

(

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

) and

Mehdi Akhrif Mehdi () is a common Arabic masculine given name, meaning "rightly guided". People having the name Mehdi are in general originating from Iran mostly and sometimes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, France, Morocco, Algeria, ...

(

) * 2014 :

Josué Guébo Josué Yoroba Guébo, or Josué Guébo (born July 21, 1972), is an Ivorian academic and man of letters. A major figure of African contemporary poetry, he is also a short story writer, playwright, essayist and author of children's literature. 6th ...

(

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

) for ''

Think of Lampedusa Think of Lampedusa is a collection of serial poems by Josué Guébo, published in french in 2014, translated in English in 2017 by Todd Fredson with an introduction by John Keene. The book received the Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African Poetry i ...

''. * 2018 :

Amadou Lamine Sall Amadou Lamine Sall, born on March 26, 1951, in Kaolack, Senegal, is one of the major poets of contemporary French-speaking Africa. Leopold Senghor said of him that he was the most talented poet of his generation. He is the recipient of the 2018 ...

(

References

External links

African Book Awards DatabaseOsundare and the Tchicaya U’Tamsi Award(fr) Josué Guébo, lauréat du Prix Tchicaya U Tamsi 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African poetry * Awards established in 1989 African literary awards 1989 establishments in Morocco