Dear Friend,

Welcome to the Golden Baobab Prize, an African literary award whose goal is to inspire the creation of African stories that children and young adults the world over will love! I started dreaming about this prize as a college student when through various experiences, the tremendous lack of good quality African children’s literature dawned on me. A continent so large and richly diverse has tons of wonderful stories to share with young people everywhere: where were these stories?

In the summer of my second year of college, with no experience, no money and only a vision, I corralled myself in an internet café and worked on a concept that would incentivize African writers to create wonderful tales for children all over the world. Eventually (and delightfully!) The Golden Baobab Prize was born!

Today, the prize is run by a passionate volunteer team from all over the world and is sponsored by the Global Fund for Children and the African Library Project. As we enter our third year, we’re hoping to enter into even more fruitful partnerships that will bring us closer to our goal: that of ensuring stellar African children’s stories are in bookstores all over the world in the years to come.

In order to make this dream a reality, we need your help! We’re looking for publicity, individual and corporate volunteers, donors and sponsors, publishing partners and of course, writers to send in stories.

Spend some time on our site. Get to know us. Spread the word about the Golden Baobab Prize. Join the Revolution! Together, let us discover the African literary giants of the next generation and produce classic stories that will be appreciated for years to come.

Warmly,
Deborah Ahenkorah
Co-Founder and Exec. Director
The Golden Baobab Prize: Inspiring African Children’s Literature.