By JAPHET ALAKAM
The Commonwealth Foundation organisers of The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, one of the world’s most important literary awards last week announced the Regional Shortlists for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

The Regional Shortlists for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize recognised both emerging and internationally acclaimed authors from five different countries for their work.

The annual awards according to the organisers , the Commonwealth Foundation, is described as an exceptional opportunity for new writers to demonstrate their talent and for authors already on the literary scene to strengthen their reputation

The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize offers awards for Best Book and Best First Book for four regions: Africa, Caribbean and Canada, South Asia and Europe, and South East Asia and Pacific. The eight regional winners for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize will be announced on Thursday 3rd March. These winners will then travel to Australia for the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May. A programme of talks and public activities is planned in Sydney to coincide with the announcement of the two overall winners. The overall best book winner will receive £10,000 and the winner of the best first book prize will receive £5,000. The overall winners will be announced on Saturday 21st May.

In the lists Canada made a clean sweep of its regional awards, with all 12 shortlisted writers in the Canada and Caribbean Best Book and Canada and Caribbean Best First Book categories hailing from Canada.

The South East Asia and Pacific Best Book and Best First Book categories are traditionally dominated by writers from Australia and New Zealand. But this year Malaysian writer Rozlan Mohd Noor broke the Australasian strangle hold, as he was shortlisted for his book 21 Immortals in the Best First Book category.

In Africa, South Africa and Nigeria dominated the lists. South Africa has 7 writers while Nigeria has 4 writers on the lists. But of special attention is the fact that female writers dominated the pack of the list, an indication that women writers are coming into their own in African contemporary literature, with 12 writers for the 2011 best book and best first book from Africa.

The shortlisted writers for the best book include Aminatta Forna (The Memory of Love) from Sierra Leone, Skiswa Wanner, Men of South Africa (South Africa), Bridget Pitt- The Unseen Leopard, (Nigeria),Sue Rabie- Blood at Bay, (South Africa)and Patricia Schonstein- Banquet at Brabaza, (South Africa).

Those for the best first book in Africa include Cynthia Jele- Happiness is a Four Letter Word(South Africa), Chioma Okereke- Bitter Leaf (Nigeria), Graeme Friedman- The Fossil Artis (South Africa), Uzoma Uponi- Colour Blind, (Nigeria), E.C. Osundu- Voice of America(Nigeria) and Alastair Bruce- Walla of Days (South Africa).

The African winners will compete against writers from the four other Commonwealth regions for the prestigious prize during the Sydney Writers’ Festival during May 16-22.

A statement by the organisers said that in  the last 25 years, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize had played a key role in bringing African literature to an international audience, unearthing compelling stories of human experience.

It said that winners of this year’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize would follow in the footsteps of the biggest African names in fiction, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who won the Best First Book award in 2005 for her book Purple Hibiscus.

So far, only four African writers have won the Commonwealth Overall Winner prize since its inception. Nigerian writer, Festus Iyayi received the 1987 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for his book, Heroes becoming the first African writer to ever win this prestigious award. Acclaimed South African author, J. M. Coetzee, was the second winner, receiving the prize in 2000 for his book Disgrace.

Two other writers, Manu Herbstein (South Africa) for his book, Ama, A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, for her book, Purple Hibiscus won the Overall Winner Prize for Best First Book in 2002 and 2005 respectively.

Past Nigerian writers who have won the Best Book Prize include Professor Karen King-Aribisala with her book, The Hangman’s Game in 2008; Isidore Okpewho, Tides (1993); Festus Iyayi, Heroes (1988) and Ben Okri, Incidents at the Shrine (1987).

Those who have won in the Best First Book Category from Nigeria include Uwem Akpan, Say You’re One of Them (2009); Sade Adeniran Imagine This (2008); Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Purple Hibiscus (2005); Helon Habila, Waiting for an Angel (2003); Funso Aiyejina, The Legend of the Rockhills and Other Stories (2000) and Karen King-Aribisala, Our Wife and Other Stories (1991). Other Nigerian writers  among the authors on the race for this year’s Commonwealth Writer’s Prize include Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, author of “I Do Not Come To You By Chance.”

The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize was first awarded in 1987. It is organised by the Commonwealth Foundation, an intergovernmental organisation working in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2011 Prize is supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation.