Zimbabwean writer Yvette Ndlovu has been named among this year's recipients of the Morland Writing Scholarships. Ndlovu earned the honour with a manuscript based on an AfroSurrealist fable of resistance, following a journalist-turned-revolutionary in a fictional Zimbabwe haunted by its resurrected dictator.
Revealed on Friday 22 November, the list of winners for 2024 features writers from 4 African countries: Kenya, Algeria, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. The awarded manuscripts range from non fiction that explores traumatic events in East Africa, to satire on colonialism and a speculative tale exploring African spirituality.
"Once more we have a diverse group of outstanding writers, one each from Nigeria, Algeria (our first Algerian scholar), Zimbabwe, and Kenya. They have very different stories to tell. Their subjects are fascinating, opening doors to areas most of us know nothing about. It looks like 2024 will be a vintage year." - Miles Morland
The full list of winners this features Carey Baraka from Kenya, Algerian writer Fayssal Bensalah, Frances Ogamba from Nigeria and Yvette Ndlovu.
The Morland Writing Scholarships for African Writers, popularly referred to as the Morland Writing Scholarship, is an opportunity to allow writers to finish a manuscript. In 2022, Zimbabwean writer Chido Muchemwa, who recently released her debut novel 'Who Will Bury You?' was a recipient of the scholarship.
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu released her debut anthology Drinking From Graveyard in 2023. The collection of short stories meld folklore, myth, realism, and SFF elements into a cohesive whole, telling stories that cast new light on longstanding issues, from gentrification to assimilation, stolen ideas to stolen memories.
The book was shortlisted for 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize, the 2023 Shirley Jackson Awards and Brittle Paper ranked it as one of the 100 Notable African Books of 2023.
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