We are pleased to announce the winner of the 2020 Afritondo Short Story prize.

South African writer Jarred Thompson has been named this year’s winner for his story ‘Good Help Is Hard to Find’. The other shortlisted authors are Philani Nyoni (Zimbabwe), Kojo Obeng-Andoh (Ghana), Davina Kuwuma (Uganda), and Hannah Onoguwe (Nigeria).

The winner was chosen by a panel of three judges comprising South African writer and author of Milk Fever, Megan Ross, Nigerian editor Kelechi Njoku, and Kenyan writer Gloria Mwaniga.

Commenting on the winning story, the panel said:

“Good Help is Hard to Find is a wry, subversive take on suburbia and its secrecies, made all the more powerful by a tight narrative, strong voice and sensitive characterisation”.

Good Help is Hard to Find tells the story of a house help Pamela and her employer Mrs Devilliers who is struggling with the affection she feels for another woman.

“What the judges loved about the story was its unhurried style and the manner in which the author made a story so lush in event feel lean. The author skillfully amplified the comfort of routine, trust, and laughter, offering a delightfully queer treatment of everyday life, peppered with humour and warmth. The close observations of the little details of domestic life, and the relationships herein, were a joy to read,” the panel added.

The theme of this year’s Short Story Prize was love and there were 421 entries from 19 countries.

Speaking on the Prize, Co-editor of Afritondo, Dr Allwell Uwazuruike, said:

“Our aim for the competition was to connect with African and black minority writers from across the globe to tell their own authentic stories. We chose love as a theme because we wanted something that was both ordinary and special. We wanted a theme that would resonate with most people and we wanted to gauge the various perspectives of love from across African and black communities. We are happy with the positive response and can’t wait to share the anthology with our readers.”

What comes next?

We will get in touch with the winner and ask a few questions about what it feels like to win the Prize. We will also arrange for the transfer of the winning prize of $1000. We will contact the longlisted writers with a view to beginning preparations for the publication of the anthology.

Finally, we want to say a big thank you to everyone that participated—all 421 writers. We would love for you to participate again in the next edition of the Prize. A big thank you to the longlisted writers—you gave the judges a hard time and we look forward to seeing your stories in print. Another big thank you to the shortlisted writers—you didn’t make the judges task any easier! And, finally, huge congratulations to the winner, Jarred Thompson—hopefully you’ll relish your position as the winner of the inaugural prize and as an ambassador of the Prize.

And last, but not least, a very big thank you to the Afritondo team for whom the past five months have been a thrilling ride. A big thank you to the founders Allwell Uwazuruike and Confidence Uwazuruike, and to ‘Sugar Pendragon’ who relishes her anonymity. A big thank you to the Prize Administrator, Munachim Amah, who has worked tirelessly to bring this Prize to fruition. A big thank you to our readers, crisscrossing three continents, who prepared the longlist. And a final big thank you to our three judges.

We hope everyone stays safe in these uncertain times of COVID-19 and we look forward to seeing you all on the next edition of the Prize.