Founded by Collin Oparaocha

Collin Oparaocha, a Turkish-Nigerian author with a love for literature, cultural identity and how stories influence our understanding of ourselves, others and the world around us, is the founder of the Obibiezenna Prize. For Oparaocha, the award was not just a passion for his art, but a matter of integrity: African writers are worthy of institutions that embody the seriousness of their art.

“I wanted to make a prize that would do more than just announce a winner; I wanted to make a place where African writers could glimpse themselves as an ongoing literary tradition and a place where exceptional work could be found, talked about, preserved and remembered.”

— Collin Oparaocha