Ugandan writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi recently won the coveted Commonwealth Short Story Prize, with her work “Let’s tell this story properly.”
The story, which explores the immigration experience (Makumbi herself moved to the UK in 2001) was praised by judges for “its grace, breadth and risk taking, and according to Mukumbi puts to rest writer Taban lo Liong’s claim that east Africa is a “literary desert”.
On winning the award, Makumbi, who currently teaches creative writing at Lancaster University, told the Guardian:
“It was the usual reaction – first you cry, then you jump, then you cry again, then dance, and then you don’t really know how to react,” she said. “This is a dream. For Uganda, once described as a literary desert, it shows how the country’s literary landscape is changing and I am proud to be a part of it.”
The prize, which attracts around 4,000 unpublished storytellers, from 53 Commonwealth countries and has a prize of £5000 was presented by Sri Lankan author Romesh Gunesekera.
Makumbi’s came to the UK from Uganda in 2001 to study at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her award winning story will be published in Granta magazine. Her first novel Kintu will be published this summer.
