Tanzania cherishes the Mwalimu Nyerere Creative Writing Awards for baking excellent literature writers

TANGA: THE Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, has said the Mwalimu Nyerere National Creative Writing Awards have continued to record significant achievements since their establishment, attracting an increasing number of writers from Tanzania and abroad.

Prof Mkenda made the remarks while speaking to journalists in Tanga about the opening of submissions for the fifth edition of the awards.

He said the awards have become an important platform for identifying, recognising and nurturing writing talent in Tanzania, with participation continuing to grow each year.

As part of efforts to strengthen the reading culture, Prof Mkenda said the Government has invested approximately Sh800 million to publish award-winning books and distribute them to schools across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

He said the initiative is intended to ensure that the works of winning authors reach a wider readership, particularly students, thereby contributing to the development of a stronger reading and writing culture in the country.

Prof Mkenda also said the awards have gained international recognition and attracted participants from various countries, reflecting the growing status of creative writing and the importance of Kiswahili in the development of literature.

ALSO READ: Dar braces for Mwalimu Nyerere Creative Writing Awards on April 13

“The award has officially been included in the global list of creative writing awards. If you search for it online, you will see that April 13 is recognised as the date for presenting the Mwalimu Nyerere Creative Writing Award,” Prof Mkenda said.

For her part, Chairperson of the Awards Committee, Prof Penina Mlama, said winners of the fifth edition will be announced at a special ceremony scheduled for April 13, 2027, a date that commemorates the birth of Tanzania’s founding father, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, who was born in 1922.

Prof Mlama said the overall winner in each category will receive a cash prize of Sh20 million, while their winning work will be published and distributed at the government’s expense.

The Mwalimu Nyerere National Creative Writing Awards were established in the 2022/23 financial year and are now entering their fifth edition.

The awards aim to promote and strengthen the culture of reading and writing in Tanzania through creative literature, while also encouraging the development and wider use of Kiswahili in literature and society.