Caine Prize for African Writing
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (2022) Winner
Idza Luhumyo
イドザ・ルフミョ
Idza Luhumyo
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1993-01-01 （Mombasa, Kenya）
- Nationality
- Kenya
- Languages
- English, Swahili
- Residence History
- Kilifi → Nairobi
Career
- Occupations
- Lawyer, Writer, Translator, Screenwriter, Copywriter
- Active Years
- 2015-
- Nominations
- AKO Caine Prize 2022 shortlist
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nairobi | School of Law | Law | LLB | 2012–2016 | Kenya |
| SOAS, University of London | — | MA Comparative Literature | MA | 2020–2021 | United Kingdom |
| Texas State University MFA (Rose Fellow) | — | MFA Creative Writing | MFA (在籍／ローズフェロー) | — | United States |
University of Nairobi
School of Law
/ Law
Degree:
LLB
Period:
2012–2016
Year of Graduation:
2016
Country:
Kenya
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
SOAS, University of London
MA Comparative Literature
Degree:
MA
Period:
2020–2021
Year of Graduation:
2021
Country:
United Kingdom
Recipient of the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa scholarship
Texas State University MFA (Rose Fellow)
MFA Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA (在籍／ローズフェロー)
Country:
United States
Rose Fellow in the MFA Creative Writing program
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award | — | — | Myriad Editions / SOAS | Winner |
| 2021 | Short Story Day Africa Prize | Five Years Next Sunday | — | Short Story Day Africa | Winner |
| 2022 | AKO Caine Prize for African Writing | Five Years Next Sunday | — | The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing | Winner |
Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award
2020
Organization:
Myriad Editions / SOAS
Result:
Winner
Short Story Day Africa Prize
2021
Work:
Five Years Next Sunday
Organization:
Short Story Day Africa
Result:
Winner
AKO Caine Prize for African Writing
2022
Work:
Five Years Next Sunday
Organization:
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Five Years Next Sunday
2021 Short storyA short story set on the Kenyan coast that delicately explores family ties, loss and memory. Through the protagonist's entanglement with past events, coastal identities and cultural tensions emerge.
Coastal identityFamily and lossMemory and the past
Palimpsest
2019 Short fictionA short piece published online that deals with memory and layered histories.
MemoryLayered history
On Full Moon Nights
2019 Short fictionA short story published in a literary magazine addressing local customs and personal emotions.
Local cultureInner life
Bibliography
- Palimpsest (Popula, 2019)
- On Full Moon Nights (The Dark, 2019)
- Five Years Next Sunday (Short Story Day Africa, 2021)
- Other contributions (Jalada Africa, Writivism, African Arguments, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical, metaphor-rich proseDetailed depiction privileging local voicesBlend of theoretical perspectives and narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- Sea and coastal cultureTensions between mobility and settlementFamily memory and inheritance
Legacy
Idza Luhumyo has attracted international attention as a young Kenyan writer, winning awards for short stories that address coastal identities. Her Caine Prize win and other recognitions mark her as a fresh voice in African literature.
Quotes
-
My favourite thing about the MA Comparative Literature program is its interdisciplinarity. Sometimes I like to think of it as 'literature-without-borders meets critical theory,' which is just perfect.
Source: SOAS interview (2021) (2021)
Trivia
- Won the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for 'Five Years Next Sunday', becoming the fifth Kenyan to win the prize.
- Listed in New African magazine's '100 Most Influential Africans' in 2022.
- Inaugural recipient of the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa scholarship in 2020.