Adeleke Wins $100, 000 Prize For 'The Missing Clock'
Nigerian journalist, poet and dramatist Adeleke Adeyemi aka Mai Nasara has won the $100,000 Nigeria LNG Prize For Literature for his children's book The Missing Clock.
The Missing Clock, was judged the best among the 126 books entered for the competition. The judges described The Missing Clock as “a genial heartwarming account of how a young boy's simple acts inspire his family to fortune”.
Chairman of the panel of judges, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo of the University of Lagos and past co-winner of the prize, said “The Missing Clock celebrates ingenuity, hard work and sparkles in its prose.” She called Adeyemi, “a gifted story teller.”
Mai Nasara is the pen name of Adeleke Adeyemi, a journalist and science communicator with interests as varied as film/TV, tennis, poetry, girl-child education and leadership studies. His work promotes a number of causes, from malaria eradication, orphanage funding to long-term scholarship for girls, as well as the history of science, engineering and technology in Africa. Based on his conviction that "the stories people tell have a way of taking care of them," (Barry L. Lopez), he is at work to set up a network of libraries across Africa, starting in his native Nigeria
His first book "The Mandate of MKO Abiola", a play for the radio was published by Nigerian Times International.
Although his win guarantees him about N15 million, Adeyemi said his focus is on making one million copies of The Missing Clock available to readers by next year. He also plans to produce a comic version as well as an animated movie of his story.
“My plan has always been to use this story, which is timely, to help children grow as human beings. This is why money is not my motivation,” he said. “In fact, 10% of all proceeds from sales of the book will be used to fight malaria and promote girl-child education, especially in Northern Nigeria.”
The highly rated Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by the Nigeria LNG Limited, was initiated in 2004 to “improve the quality of writing, editing, proof-reading, and publishing in the country”.
The prize rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.
Click here to order The Missing Clock from Amazon.
Top Topics of the Day
comScore Releases September 2011 U.S. Search Engine Rankings
CEO Confidence Declines Again, The Conference Board Reports
"2011 American Music Awards®" Nominees Announced
Consumer Reports Index: Sentiment and Employment Remain Weak, as Holidays Approach
DVDs Will Be Staying at Netflix.com
Private Equity Fund-Raising Stumbles in U.S.; European Fund-Raising Exceeds 2010 Total
Top 25 Team Rankings of the Harris Interactive College Football Poll
Shirley MacLaine to Receive 40th AFI Life Achievement Award
Calling All New York Area Girls: Gap to Hold Open Casting Call for Its "I Want Candy" Holiday Video
Tweet
Comments