Woppa Diallo and Mame Bougouma Diene won the £10,000 (about $12,290) Caine Prize for African Writing for "A Soul of Small Places," which was first published in Africa Risen (Tordotcom, 2022). The Guardian reported that lawyer and activist Diallo's "experiences of gender-based violence in Senegal were the inspiration" for the story. "French-Senegalese American humanitarian and short story writer Diene worked with her to create a fictional Woppa Diallo, who narrates her story against a backdrop of African cosmology in which spirits and humans coexist."
This marks the first time a pair of writers has won the award since it began in 2000, as well as the first time the prize has chosen a winner from Senegal. In addition to the cash prize, the authors will have their work featured in the 2023 Caine prize anthology, This Tangible Thing and Other Stories. Runners-up Yejide Kilanko, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Ekemini Pius, and Yvonne Kusiima will receive £500 (about $615) and also feature in the anthology.
Chair of judges Fareda Banda praised Diene and Diallo's "visceral tale," adding that she and her fellow judges felt the collaborative work spoke "powerfully, but not didactically, to one of the pressing global issues of our time.... It reminds us too of the power of love in all its forms. The winning story leaves a lasting impression and invites readers to return to it.... It reminds us too of the power of love in all its forms. The winning story leaves a lasting impression and invites readers to return to it."