Baraka Sakin Wins Award of Best African Novel

Sudan Events

The Sudanese novelist Abdel Aziz Baraka Sakin has been awarded the (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for 2023, in recognition of his contributions to literature, the French Ministry of Culture announced, on Friday.
The announcement of the best African novel of the year 2023 was made last Saturday at the Maison d’Afrique Mandingo in Montreal, Quebec. The choice made by the jury of the Academy of Baobabs is unanimous; the author’s style, the originality of the subject, the dramatic approach to the work and a good emotional content characterize this work.
he began his literary career with several smaller publications. His winning the Tayeb Salih award in Sudan granted him the attention of a larger audience. Then, his books were confiscated and banned in Sudan and he consequently seeked Asylum in Austria. He has been living in Saalfelden since 2012, and has recently also been residing in Montpellier, France. Baraka Sakin is currently a city scribe of Graz. The jury reasoning for appointing him was as follows: “Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin is one of the most relevant voices of Arab literatures in the European diaspora. He began his literary career as an author of prose in Sudan, where his books were soon banned by the islamist regime in power. In exile, his work has been internationally acclaimed and awarded several prizes (mostly in France). His books have been translated into ten languages.