There is a school of thought that explains Africa’s underdevelopment is partly due to limited written knowledge about its history and culture. To project their social identity and claim space in the global spheres, nations should preserve and write about their society, culture, norms and history. Lack of that leaves a nation vulnerable to social abuse and possible identity crisis.
Different countries have realised this. They have done a number of initiatives to ensure writing is done by its citizens. These initiatives include research grants, scholarships and Awards/Prizes. Tanzania has these initiatives too. Nevertheless, up until 2022 there was no specific national-wide, government-supported award to promote creative writing in the country.
In his 2022 Budget Speech, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, announced the government’s plan to promote creative writing in Tanzania.
Following consultations with various stakeholders including writers and publishers, the Ministry, through Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), launched the award titled Tuzo ya Taifa ya Mwalimu Nyerere ya Uandishi Bunifu, or Mwalimu Nyerere National Prize for Creative Writers in English, in September 2022. In this article we will refer to it as Tuzo ya Nyerere.
Three years later, the Prize has given awards two times – i.e., in 2023 and in 2024. On Sunday, April 13, 2025, a third award will be given. These awards have covered four different writing genres including fiction, poetry, children’s stories and plays. The winner of the award for each genre receives not only cash but also, most importantly, the manuscript gets to be reviewed and published by a credible publisher at the government’s expense.
Incentives
The government, further, buys and distributes copies of the published book to all public secondary schools in the country. This means that the schools’ libraries get additional literature books for students to read. It also enhances complementary reading materials in schools.
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Also, domestic publishers are incentivized as they are sure of contracts and market. Publishers establish book credibility due to review and the editorial process they put the manuscript through. To promote reading and writing culture, the role of publishers cannot be sidelined. In this way, Tuzo ya Nyerere touches across the entire writing and reading value chain.
As a member of an independent committee that oversees the process of Tuzo ya Nyerere, I have particularly, been impressed by the number of manuscripts that are submitted. In the last three years, more than 600 manuscripts of competing genres have been submitted by writers from across Tanzania, both Mainland and Zanzibar.
Writers have also come from different backgrounds regarding their levels of education, work engagement, and professions. The profile of writers shows that creative writing is a talent that should be developed and celebrated.
The Tuzo ya Nyerere judges, who are independent and different every year, have provided reflections on strengths and areas that may need more attention concerning writing skills and the Kiswahili language. These reflections, as they are presented by judges during award ceremonies, may inform the community of writers and the Kiswahili language stakeholders including academics, researchers, curriculum developers and teachers on questions to ask and language issues to explore and address.
Promoting Kiswahili
In this way, Tuzo ya Nyerere enriches the language of Kiswahili. To note, Tuzo ya Nyerere accepts only Swahili manuscripts. This provides an opportunity to expand Swahili literature as well as the cultures of diverse people who speak Swahili.
Kiswahili as a language is gaining more prominence in the international sphere. Tanzania, being one of the countries whose culture is closely intertwined with the Kiswahili language, has, by default, been considered the guardian of the language.
Kiswahili comes forth as an identity aspect of Tanzanian. In the first year of the Tuzo ya Nyerere award ceremony, i.e., in 2023, the Guest of Honour was the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano. His invitation was informed by his unilateral motion to promote the Kiswahili language as an official language in the African Union.
In its second year, Tuzo ya Nyerere was honoured by Prof Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Nobel Literature Prize Winner of Tanzanian origin. Two of Prof Gurnah’s books have now been translated into Swahili. The translations of both books have been done by a Tanzanian and published by a Tanzanian publisher. Tuzo ya Nyerere celebrates these achievements.
The presence of Prof Gurnah at the Tuzo ya Nyerere 2024 Prize Ceremony as a Guest of Honour further showcased the unifying factor that Tuzo ya Nyerere brings to literature lovers and in particular those of Swahili type.
Given this prominence to our national identity and its nascent importance in world languages, it is imperative to appreciate the role of Tuzo ya Nyerere in influencing and cementing Tanzania’s central place in Kiswahili language and literature.
In its third Prize Ceremony, the Guest of Honour will be Hon. Dr Philip Mpango, the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania. The presence of the second-most top leader in the country highlights the commitment of the government to the mission of Tuzo ya Nyerere.
As a new initiative, challenges cannot be avoided, but as it progresses the challenges turn into lessons for improvements. Tuzo ya Nyerere is now recognized as one of the Literature Prizes across the world. In hindsight, Tuzo ya Nyerere should be upheld for its diverse contribution towards positioning Tanzania’s place in the Kiswahili world.
Dr Aikande Clement Kwayu is a researcher and public intellectual who serves on the committee for the Mwalimu Nyerere National Prize for Creative Writers. She is available at aikande.kwayu@gmail.com and on X as @aikande. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
