KWANI? SHORT STORY COMPETITION CALL-OUT
Written by Kwani · July 30, 2009
'The Kenya I Live In'
(If you are not a citizen of Kenya see ‘The Africa I Live In’ call-out)
Kwani Trust is pleased to announce the launch of a national short story competition titled, ‘The Kenya I Live In’, inspired by the recent push for ‘The Kenya We Want’, and ubiquitous conversations about a 2030 vision that places our heads in the clouds and obscures who we are and what we really are. At Kwani Trust, we feel that these visions cannot be achieved until we come to terms with who we are and what we have been. The first step in this is in telling and recognising our own stories and especially that of a new generation.
The 46-year old Kenya’s official narrative of ‘inherent’ goodness, indigenous beauty and widespread peace has now been running on empty for a while. So we seek newer stories that reflect our day to day lives, both private and public: the stories and narratives exchanged in schools, colleges, matatus, offices, churches, pubs, streets, suburbs, estates, mtaas, trading centres, valleys and hills. Stories told through song and dance, paint and brush, word and phrase, lens and shutter – stories now being told by a new generation, spurred by new imaginations, revealed by new narratives and expressions.
In addition to being published in tour upcoming issue, Kwani? 06, the three best stories will bag the following prizes:
• Winner: Ksh. 100,000
• 1st runner up: Ksh. 75,000
• 2nd runner up: Ksh. 50,000
Submission Guidelines for Short Stories on ‘The Kenya I Live In’.
• Word count: 3000 – 8000 words. Theme: ‘The Kenya I Live In’.
• This is adult fiction (in the sense that it is not ‘children’s fiction’). Since we are targeting a certain generation, we will only accept entries from writers born after 1978.
• The work can be in English, Kiswahili or Sheng’. The story must be ‘new’ in the sense that it is ‘unpublished in book form’ (we will accept submissions which have been previously published in magazines.)
• Please send submissions by email , attached as a WORD doc to mykenyakwani@gmail.com or by post as a typescript ( no handwritten scripts please)to P o Box 2895-00100 Nairobi
Formatting Guidelines
• Name of author (Times New Roman 12 Bold left justified)
• Contact address, telephone number , date of birth and email (Times New Roman 12 Bold left justified)
• Title of short story (Times New Roman 14, bold, centered). The story should be in Times New Roman, black, size 12, justified, 1.5 line spacing.
• Page numbers and name of author on every page please.
• Word count at the end of the story, bold and left justified
• Submission Deadline : October 26, 2009
i have to applaud your initiative especially concerning ‘the kenya i live in’ essay competition. as upcoming artists we need forums to showcase our ideas. the only thing i ask is that you as kwani? open up more so that we see monthly competitions. lets dymystify writing, by making audience a click away. the way storymoja is basically trying to do. grazie – asante
writing is a unique way of expressing one self and by encouraging people to write in whatever language and especially our generation that has grown up with sheng is a great initiative.this competion leaves no room for anyone to say that english or swahili is hard because sheng will not be hard.
great initiative Kwani?
The short story initiative has always been an interactive and practical motivational tool for discovering new talent and developing existing ones. It is howver my opinion that limiting the age of entry to 31 years and above is retrogresive to say the least. Granted that having a certain age as a benchmark for entrants will lend a defined perspective to the stories submitted, it however overlooks that there are other stories by the under 30 that are forgoten. We also live in Kenya and we also have storie to tell, “Kuishi kwingi ni kuoma mengi” ndio lakini no one can narrate the expetience of a form four drop out in kenya today better than the form foue drop out. it would be really nice if the competition was opened to those who are atleast 21 and above. Ama?
This is a great initiative, and I am looking forward to reading the stories produced.
However, I feel it is a pity about the age bracket. It could still be authored from a wider bracket and yet target a ‘certain generation.’
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, born before 1978, is a very contemporary writer talking clearly to a reality today particularly in The Thing Around Your Neck.
Is this a ‘Moi generation’ type thing?
But this is not to take away from the initiative, ni maonis tu!
All the best.
I couldn’t agree more with the current theme”The Kenya I Live In” I am compelled to think it has come in handy with the current shape the country is in and am looking forward to reading some good stuff.With more and more competitions of this nature we are on the right track as country in creating awareness as a form of basic education.
Big up guys for the good work
This is what we have been waiting for. My prediction – Kenya’s best writer ever is going to come out of the lot who submit for this competition. Move over Ngugi wa Thiongo.
Great initiative… Am on my first paragraph… Can’t wait to get to the last!
this will give upcoming writers a stage to showcase their talents and i am eager to see what is forthcoming and also hand in my piece
Ai yawa!
I wish I was within the age limit so that I could send in my piece. Offcourse compes have rules to help ensure fairness. It is a very good initiative and those who have the talent and fit the preconditions should get busy. Ya wazee wa pre 1978 ni lini?
Fwamba L
Maybe for those born before 1978 KWANI should introduce a competition called “the Kenya I used to live in”………..
Thanxfor the marvelous opportunity you are giving to upcoming scribes. Keep up the work and as somebody suggested make this a quarterly or monthly affair.
Kudos!!!!
Let me first lend weight to the call by Mwaura Samora on holding frequent affairs far as written word is cncerned, As for Sally, well, this is about he only event that has not excluded the Moi generation, which comprioses some of the best minds in the country, but now that the chance is here, lets put our pens to paper and prove our worth and vuka from the romantic world of what we think we can enthrall audiences with and prove it with written works.
Thanks Kwani? kwani cant you make it more often?
I hope this will give a venue and stage for us to voice our concerns. My prayer is that it goes beyond being a competion and become a communication tool. Let’s speak up, Thomas Mann once said “speech is civilization itself. THE WORD EVEN THE MOST CONTRADICTORY WORD PRESERVES CONTACT- IT IS SILENCE WHICH ISOLATES.” So let’s communicate through our stories.
Kudos kwani 4 tis initiative!The thot of writin a kenyan story without lge restrictions will enable kenyans 2 write unique kenyan stories.
just wondering if the title the story is the one given only or one can add a subtitle 4 their work?
Eline ‘The Kenya I Live In’ is basically the theme of the competition. Your story could have any title as long as it aptly captures the theme.
This is what we have been waitin for, a chance to demonstrate the power of a pen.
getting to the three thousand relevant words that add up to the challenge is real sweaty, but no one said it was going to be easy! . I hope the blogspot can serve the same purpose as the website.
Great idea having the youth write about ‘the kenya i live in” Which i can bet my last litre of that precious commodity called water, is not the kind of place they love to continue living in. How about we have another competition ,strictly for the older lot titled “how the hell we got there”.
Well done, for a super initiative. This would have been my very first submission to Kwani? as a budding writer. However, at 36yrs of age, I find myself excluded. It stings a little, yes, although I do not begrudge my younger Kenyan cousins of their grand opportunity…
Editors, please note a recent phenomenon: if a certain well-known competition had placed age limits upon its entrants, Ms. Susan Boyle may never have performed to a worldwide audience. She is now the darling of multitudes, who are eagerly anticipating her debut as a full-fledged artist.
Similarly, “The Kenya I Live In” is just as relevant a story, as those to be submitted in this competition. Perhaps my, and other ‘over 31′ experiences will count for something as your team plans future competitions. Best regards.
yes,it’s now , now or never to pick up our pen and let them bleed.
Am gonna write coz i need to let it out.The Kenya I Live is in abad state and well let me see if i can help it be a better place.
Good work guys.
Am gonna write coz i need to let it out.The Kenya I Live is in abad state and well let me see if i can help it be a better place.Keep it up
Good work guys.
…I would urge you to cease the fixation with age brackets. Maybe you should be able to judge the ‘contemporaneity of the story’, its socio-cultural relevance, as opposed to working with time based aesthetics. someone mentioned Chimamanda Adichie, but I would go further and mention Garcia marques, who is comparatively quite aged, but has refused to be relegated to the archival casing. Also, do not forget that there has been some kind of gap as far as expression (including art, music, dance…) is concerned. This age thing… Could you re-consider?
Question:
Can a story about Kenyans in the diaspora make the cut? I see the relevance as far as focusing on Kenyan people as opposed to the geographical entity…most of them are actively invested in what goes on in Kenya and, I believe, are an important part of Kenya even though they do not (currently) live there.
I think the initiative is fantastic but I have to ask- why is there an age limit?
and we all live in the present right?
It would be understandable if it was a childrens’ competition or aimed at students in high school and university. I am nineteen and I don’t understand why the competition rules are designed to lock out older Kenyans. Their perspectives may be different even archaic but I think it is relevant all the same. My grandmother constantly complains about traffic police seeking bribes from her as she drives her pick-up to and from the farm. Similarly in the hit song Boda Boda Madtraxx, the singer narrates how he had to give a traffic policeman a bribe so that he could proceed and go rave in Westie. If you sat my grandmother down with Madtraxx today they could comfortably share their mutual experiences at the hands of these corrupt officers.
Similarly a city girl raised in a wealthy, urban setting may find that she has precious little in common with an age mate raised in the village or in the slums or in a middle class home (are you familiar with the barbie / msee wa mtaa phenomenon?). Please give every Kenyan who so desires the opportunity to tell their story. The theme encourages being honest and speaking about the realities of life in Kenya today. As such it should celebrate diversity and the differences we have especially those we aren’t in control of like age
Keep the good stuff coming though. I’m really excited about the growth of the arts especially literature in Kenya. Kwani? ROCKS!!!!! ( btw any chance we might have another Lit fest soon?)
Literature in Kenya must be encouraged by all and sundry. In fact we should aim at a National Academy of letters. We are grateful for Kwani?.
I think I understand Kwani’s idea with the ‘age’ limit. It would be a good idea to see what the younger generation is going to come up with…it’s where the future lies. I think a 40 years old will view the current Kenya differently from someone in their 20’s even if there recent experiences have been the same…the interpretations will be different. We probably already know what the 40 year old thinks of today’s Kenya via our great authors, newspaper columnists etc…but we really don’t know what the fellas in their 20’s think…really just about the only place you can get the views of the youth on today’s kenya are the various kenyan internet blogs!!
I like the Kwani? idea.
Aspire!
Aspire!
Aspire!
Aspire!
Aspire!
great idea, kwani?for giving the young generation a chance to contribute to the literary world. for quite a while we have been reading the likes of Ngugi Wa Thiongo tell us stories about our independence struggles, because they were around and felt it from their innocence. now it is the time that we who were born after 1978 tell the world about the Kenya we live in from our own point of view. thanks kwani for such a bright idea.
This is one of the brightest ideas in the 21st century from a respected publishing house like Kwani. Let this be the pacesetter for great literary opportunities in future.Let youngsters in this age bracket be actively involved in the selection of the best short stories.Keep up the good work.
The competition is a great ideal,but the age limit some how contradicts the theme .The kenya i live in comprises of both the younger and older generations so writers should have been left free to respond to the theme.
hey for poetry lovers
its time for mind-boggers
can’t possibly fly abroad
kwani brings us books load
and if u aren’t upto compe
u’ll write stuff for hope
and mayb the prize’ll win u a gold
coz the mine field is right in ur mind
THANX.
I hope this is just but the beginning. Lets give our writers the hope that with hard work and determination, their gift is not a barren one. Kudos!
Men,Kwani has become blind like our MPs,
dicing people like voters bloc brigades,
that over 30 are not invites to stories,
but who will tell what we all want,
if it was Kazi kwa vijana,then woops,
But all in all ,kwani is doing a nice thing.let the youngs tell their tales.
Just a question, if I sent my submission in at 11:52pm om September 7th have just beaten the deadline or am I time barred?
This is a laudable initiative.Keep it up Kwani?
Nothing could have been more timely than Kwani’s?short story competition call-out.This is the time new informtion is needed on the deck about a new emerging nation or tribe if you like,called Kenya.
I am proud to say that I am one of the contributors to this upcoming short story novel.I hope the organisers will find it worthy of publishing my short story and make ‘The Kenya I live in’ an enjoyable read.
It is in fact high time we seek our own authenticity as an emerging society. a lot of our present perceptions of life’s values are the products of the influence of the past/older writers.
This writting competion will be nothing less than a chance for a little bit of innovation and perhaps modification of the previous campaigns to suit present challenges.
I too sent my story for publication consideration and hope for the best
Do Kwani? send an acknowledgement that the mailed story has been recieved by them or somethng? Or we just wait?
We killian Ngala(above) what is a short story novel?
Mehul, relax. By the way what were you doing all that time ndio utume at 11.52 a.m?
On another note, that short story compe had far too many rules for an artistic competetion. Ilikuwa kama insha ama composition ya class six.
I think the rules were mostly for the formating otherwise the instructions did not seem to confine the writer to a particular genre or way of writting.
As for submitting at 11:52pm…I thought Sunday was deadline day and only realise on Saturday night that the Kwani competition was coming to a close…then I went partying and only got my act together at 7pm on Sunday night!!! Thats when I started writting!! I don’t know what I did as there was no revision, no pondering over my sentences for hours…I just vomitted some crazy nonsense!
But I would still like to know I have a shot at this competition! lol
The age proviso you’ve specified for the submissions is unnecessary! It reminds me of an assurance I used to get since my primary school days; that I am a leader of tomorrow; and now three years past thirty, I am considered ineligible for such an interesting competition? I feel like a sell-by-date stamp on a dairy product! Who said this world is not unfair?
The extension of the deadline for submitting entries was providential to say the least. Is there a maximum number of entries one can submit?
Brilliant idea. I love the work being done by Kwani. However, can we think of decentralizing this from Nairobi? I would appreciate if Kwani landed in Eldoret!
I was happy until I got to the point where it said writers born after 1978… why?
badboy,a short story novel is a feature of literature that is really a compilation of short stories from a cross section of various writers,like ‘Encounters from Africa’,'Looking for a raingod’,'Half a day and and other stories,’ et cetera,do I have you educated?
Am in love with writing and I will grab any opportunity to share with the world. I believe this initiative is strongly founded and basing it to the culture of wrting, in my own affirmation, it’s an imminnent success!! Kudos!!
thanks for this chance, my husband is going to gladly take it. i love the way he
writes and I’m sure you too are gonna like it.
this is a fantastic oppotuanity for young writters like me.please email for me the deadline for submmission of the work because i am still working on my piece.
when is the deadline
good work guys i think i do understand your age limit concept in that what is transmitted in kenyan history 40 years ago is live coal to those who existed then the passed down account of it in written or spoken history is diff hence the two generations wil have separate views on aesthetic judgement and form
the compe is stiff but the stories are nice and the words flow like…….cant wait finish writing it
HELLO KWANI AM A MASSCOMMUNICATION STUDENT IN MAGENTA TRAINING INSTITUTE AND I HAVE A PASSION AND TALENT IN SCRIPTING AND ACTING. I HAVE SCRIPTED SEVERAL DRAMA SCRIPTS AND WRITTEN SEVERAL POEMS AND SONGS. I HAVE ALSO FINISHRD WRITTING MY NOVEL BUT I NEED YOUR ADVICE ON HOW TO GET MY WORKS PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED TO THE PUBLIC SO AS TO PASS MY MESSAGE. PLEASE HELP. PHONE: 0725363469
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