Gabrielle Mudiwa awarded the Achmat Dangor Literary Prize 2024
- Wits University
This inaugural award enables a talented young writer to pursue an MA in Creative Writing at Wits thereby ensuring that Dangor’s legacy endures.
.jpg "Gabrielle Mudiwa recipient of the 2024 Achmat Dangor Literary Prize_pic Sam Herbst")
The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, offered by the Achmat Dangor Legacy Project and the University’s Creative Writing Department, School of Literature, Language, and Media (SLLM), and the Faculty of Humanities named Gabrielle Nthabiseng Mudiwa as the 2024 award recipient.
Gabrielle Mudiwa is a 28-year-old writer completing a joint Honours in African Literature and Creative Writing at Wits.
Mudiwa’s work stood out of nearly 40 applications for its unique narrative voice and command of language, capturing themes of memory, displacement and continuity in South Africa.
Awarded for the first time this year, the prize aims to ensure the enduring legacy of Achmat Dangor, an acclaimed South African writer and activist.
The prize is dedicated to nurturing young, previously disadvantaged writers by providing the financial support needed to pursue an MA in Creative Writing at Wits.
This year’s submissions highlighted the diversity and vibrancy of South African literature, emphasising the need for initiatives that support emerging voices.
The shortlist, featuring distinct voices and remarkable talent, included Veli Mnisi, Phelani Makhanya, Vuyokazi Ngemntu, Lerato Sibanda waga Matsomela, and Seitlhamo Thabo Motsapi.
The award ceremony took place at the William Cullen Library on 30 October, where attendees could also view an exhibition of Achmat Dangor’s papers, now housed in Wits University’s Historical Papers Research Archive.
Friends, family, associates of Achmat Dangor, and students and staff from Wits University joined to celebrate this year’s winner.
The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Professor Mucha Musemwa, conferred the award, commending the shortlist and congratulating Mudiwa on her achievement.
.jpg "Mother Tsitsi Mudiwa, Creative Writing head Stacy Hardy, winner Gabrielle Mudiwa, Dean of Humanities Mucha Musemwa_pic Sam Herbst")
Writer and Distinguished Professor in Creative Writing at Wits, Ivan Vladislavi? spoke on Dangor’s contributions to South African literature. He noted, “Dangor's work resonates profoundly in our present. His concern with the fluidity and mutability of identity, intergenerational trauma and the burdens of memory, his bold and sometimes disquieting eroticism, and his interest in spirituality, mysticism and Muslim identity will strike a chord with many contemporary readers and writers.”
Verne Harris, former Head of the Memory Programme at the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Centre of Memory and Dialogue, shared memories of Dangor as a gifted writer and influential leader.
Poet, educator and activist Barbara Masekela emphasised Dangor’s cultural activism, calling on writers to draw inspiration from him and respond to the urgent demands of the present moment.
The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, offered every two years, supports young, previously disadvantaged writers and continues Achmat Dangor’s legacy.
It is made possible by the generosity of the Ford Foundation and Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Audrey Elster, Achmat Dangor’s wife and long-term partner, initiated the project and brought this year’s prize to fruition.