Poetry, arts, glitz and glamour as Etisalat prize for literature 2015 wraps up

An atmosphere of arts, poetry and culture filled
with glitz and glamour was created at the 2015
Etisalat Prize for Literature grand finale which
held last weekend at the prestigious
Intercontinental Lagos Hotel.
It has been an exciting journey for the Etisalat
Prize, beginning with the call for entries, the long
wait for the longlist, and eventually the unveiling
of the shortlist of three great books all worthy
of the Etisalat Prize. But we all knew there could
only be one winner, and he is Fiston Mwanza
Mujila for his debut fiction novel, Tram 83
originally written in French; making him the third
winner of the Etisalat Pan-African Prize for
Literature instituted since 2013.
His winnings includes a £15,000 cheque, an
engraved Montblanc Meisterstück and an iPhone
6s. He also gets to attend the Etisalat
Fellowship at the University of East Anglia,
United Kingdom, under the mentorship of
Professor Giles Foden, the author of The Last
King of Scotland.
In attendance were art lovers and dignitaries
such as : Deputy Governor of Lagos State and
Commissioner of Education, Dr. Idiat Adebule
(represented by her Permanent Secretary, Dr.
Olusola Yinka Ayandele); Commissioner of
Science and Technology of Lagos State, Femi
Odubiyi; Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority
Leader, Federal House of Representatives;
Professors Femi Osofisan and Ahmed Yerima
(playwrights); Prof. Remi Raji (poet), Dr. Frank
Edozien; thespians Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Genevieve
Nnaji and Bimbo Akintola; and members of
Etisalat Nigeria Board, Prof. Isabella Okagbue
and Junaid Dikko, with top class performances
from Asa, Darey Art-Alade, Evelle and K. Peace.