Makena Onjerika | |
|---|---|
 Onjerika at Lannan Center Reading Series,Georgetown University, March 2019 | |
| Born | 1980s[1] |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Notable awards | Caine Prize (2018) |
Makena Onjerika (born 1980s) is a Kenyan writer, who won the 2018Caine Prize for African Writing,[2] making her the fourth writer from her country to do so—following wins byBinyavanga Wainaina in 2002 andYvonne Adhiambo Owuor in 2003, andOkwiri Oduor in 2013.[3]
In July 2018, Makena won the 2018Caine Prize for African Writing[4] – often described as Africa's leading literary award, for her short story entitled "Fanta Blackcurrant", published inWasafiri magazine (2017). The Chair of the Caine Prize judging panel, award-winning Ethiopian-American novelist and writerDinaw Mengestu, announced Makena as the winner of the £10,000 prize at an award dinner.[5] The ceremony was held for the second time inLondon University's Senate House, in partnership withSOAS and the Centre for African Studies. Mengestu praised the story in his remarks, saying: "...the winner of this year’s Caine Prize is as fierce as they come – a narrative forged but not defined by the streets ofNairobi, a story that stands as more than just witness. Makena Onjerika’s 'Fanta Blackcurrant' presides over a grammar and architecture of its own making, one that eschews any trace of sentimentality in favour of a narrative that is haunting in its humour, sorrow and intimacy."[6]
Makena is a graduate of theMFA Creative Writing programme atNew York University and has been published inUrban Confusions andWasafiri. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and is currently working on a fantasy novel.[7] She is a contributor to the 2019 anthologyNew Daughters of Africa, edited byMargaret Busby.[1]
Makena founded the Nairobi Fiction Writing Workshop and edited the anthologyDigital Bedbugs, composed of the stories from the workshop.[8]
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