African Poet Shines in International Competition, Wins R60k Against 1 000 People
- A young man, Othuke Umukoro, has represented his continent as he emerged the winner of the 2021 African Poetry Prize
- The 31-year-old poet was praised as having the required word skills to traverse several themes with his poems
- With his win, Othuke is joining the league of two other Nigerians who in 2016 and 2017 clinched the same prize
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A Nigerian writer, Othuke Umukoro, who is based in Port Harcourt, has been declared the 2021 African Poetry Prize winner for a wonderful entry that speaks about family and hope, among other things.
With the win, Othuke will be bagging big prize money of £3 000 (R60 000). The 31-year-old poet said he is very excited about the news, Ripples Nigeria reports.
Source: UGC
He stated that he hopes his success will bring attention to other African poets who are also worth their salt.
Karen McCarthy Woolf, the chairman of the prize for this year, described the Nigerian winner as a person with the skill befitting the issues he handled.
On the Nigerian’s diction and narrative style, Karen added:
“The language is lush, mesmeric and deftly handles the balance between lyric and narrative. These are unafraid, thoughtful pieces - playful yet serious, making us look at love, life, mortality afresh.”
It, should, however, be noted that the eighth edition of the prize got entries from more than 1 000 people from around the African continent.
According to Brunel’s website, two Nigerians, Gbenga Adesina and Romeo Oriogun, had won the prize in 2016 and 2017.
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Meanwhile, Briefly News earlier reported that a Nigerian-Scottish teenager, Amanda Amaeshi, won the 2020 Glasgow Times Young Scotswoman of the Year.
The Glasgow Times editor, Callum Baird, made the announcement in a ceremony that was held in collaboration with the St Enoch Centre.
The editor described the girl as one who is of immense inspiration, saying the board is glad to have her as its winner.
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Source: Briefly News
