As Seen from Uganda, African Writing is Alive and Well

The conference participants agreed that the growing number of awards for African literature like the Caine Prize - and now the 15,000-pound ($22,050) Etisalat Prize for African Literature - are important for launching writers. Chinelo Okparanta, a Nigerian writer living in the United States who was among the three finalists for the prize, calls them "community builders." Etisalat will buy 1,000 copies of her Happiness, Like Water from Granta Publishers to distribute to schools and libraries in Africa.