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By Kylie Kiunguyu
Makena Onjerika, Kenyan writer, is the winner of the Caine 2018 Award, whose obsessive tale "Fanta Blackcurrant" on street children in Nairobi earned her the coveted £ 10,000 prize (Sh1 , 3 million)
This year, the Caine Award for its history 'Fanta Blackcurrant & # 39; which was released in Wasafiri in 2017. Onjerika is the fourth Kenyan to win the literary prize that comes with a cash prize of £ 10,000 {Sh1.3m}.
He was completely unexpected by Onjerika who told the BBC that she was surprised to win and that she had bet against herself.
"I did not expect it … I had a person for whom I was betting among the preselected authors … and then I heard my name and I was like you Are you sure it was you that you mentioned? "she said.
Onjerika, a Creative MFA Graduate Writing a program at the University of New York, she told the BBC that she had chosen to write about street children because Kenyans – me included – do not see street children as children. There are children, and then there is "chokora" She added, explaining the derogatory Swahili term used by Kenyans that translates as "sea urchins"
"Fanta Blackcurrant" follows the story of a girl from the streets . The story is told from the point of view of another street girl who uses English street jargon
The protagonist of Meri dreams of having "a big Blackcurrant Fanta to drink all Onjerika said that Meri "just wants sweetness" for his life.
Onjerika beat the other four finalists for the award: Nonyelum Ekwempu (Nigeria), Stacy Hardy (South Africa), Olufunke Ogundimu ( Nigeria) and Wole Talabi (Nigeria).
Caine Award jury chair, Dinaw Mengestu, praised her speech by saying, "This year's winner The Caine Award is as fierce as they come .. -a story forged but not defined by the streets of Nairobi, a story that is not just a testimony. Makena Onjerika's "Fanta Blackcurrant" presides over a grammar and architecture of her own making, which avoids any trace of sentimentality in favor of a haunting narrative of humor, sadness and intimacy.
Caine Award Winner Faithful to her story and her intention to spotlight the street children's struggle, the BBC will donate half of her £ 10,000 ($ 13,000) winnings to help them get their money's worth. rehabilitate
"With the rest I will buy a car"
The three Kenyan writers who preceded it for the award are: Okwiri Oduor (2013), Yvonne Owuor (2003) and Binyavanga Wainaina (2002) .
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