The Rainbow Book Club (RBC) in conjunction with Nigeria LNG Limited, sponsors of the Nigeria Prize for Literature will on Sunday 18 September hold a grand reception for the three shortlisted poets in contention for the $100, 000 Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2022.
The three poets to be hosted are Su’eddie Vershima Agema (Memory and the Call of Water); Romeo Oriogun (Nomad); and Saddiq Dzukogi (Your Crib, My Qibla).
According to a statement, the highly anticipated occasion, which is strictly by invitation, will hold in Port Harcourt as a hybrid event with a link for virtual participation. Time is 2 pm prompt.
The one-day Port Harcourt Book Festival is themed “Conversations in the Garden City”. A reception for the shortlisted poets, it promises three enthralling hours. It will feature appraisal of the finalist poets and their books, readings, reviews, stage performances, and a quiz with prizes for winners on sight and online.
“The choice of Port Harcourt to host the final shortlisted poets before an eventual winner is announced is strategic, given the pivotal role the Garden City plays in the Nigeria oil and gas sector”, said Koko Kalango– Founder and CEO of Rainbow Book Club. The writer and festival director also stressed that, as the headquarters of the prize sponsor– the NLNG — is in Port Harcourt, hosting the poets here is synonymous with bringing Africa’s biggest literary prize back to where it germinated.
The art fiesta is intended to invigorate literary passion in the Garden City. It is also aimed at facilitating reader-writer interaction and enhancing reading culture. This is subsequent to a similar event for the initial 11 longlisted poets, a Book Party by the Committee for Relevant Art held on Sunday 9 August 2022 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
After that Book Party, a list of three poets was announced by the judges on 26 August 2022. The Port Harcourt outing will see the writers converge in Nigeria’s Garden City where they will meet and dialogue with another audience, for further creative stimulation.
The Rainbow Book Club is a non-profit organization (NGO) that encourages reading for social development. RBC, a UNESCO club, is part of the Rainbow Foundation that successfully hosted the year-long UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 project in Port Harcourt, making it the first city in sub-Saharan Africa to win the prestigious literacy campaign award.
With the 2022 edition focusing on poetry, the Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG to promote and reward excellence in writing, rotates yearly amongst four literary genres of prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. This year’s winner will be announced by the judges in October.