Uganda Writers Prize launched

By Ayeta Anne Wangusa The Uganda Writers Prize was on Wednesday August 29, launched at the Constitutional Square during the National Book Week. The prize was kicked off with £1000 sponsored by Kinyara Sugar Works. The prize this year, is code-named, The Kinyara-Uganda Writers Prize 2001. It is intended to evolve into The Uganda Writers Prize once a fund is established. The books legible for competition of the prize, should have been published in Uganda this millennium and should be creative works. The prize is expected to attract upcoming writers next year, since excellent manuscripts will get an opportunity to get a publisher. A board of trustees, through an executive decision of the steering committee of the Uganda Writers Prize, chaired by Tom Phillips, Uganda’s British High Commissioner was appointed to pool resources to finance the annual prize. Mary Karooro Okurut, who represented Prof. Kayeihamba, the chairperson of the board of trustees, said “The prize will be an incentive for upcoming writers to write.” The prize is a brain child of Tom Phillips who is also a published poet. Sue Beaumont, director British Council described it as “his contribution to the Ugandan writers.” She said the prize was intended to “give writers intellectual and financial freedom.” Jack Mclean, General manager of Kinyara Sugar Works Ltd, said his company was also involved in promoting education. He said his company was indirectly promoting the reading culture in Uganda. Peter Songa, who represented the minister of state for Higher education, thanked private firms for supporting upcoming writers. He described the literary scene since the Amin era, as “a literary desert that moved to a literary grassland and before long will become a literary forest.” Ends