Andika na Soma calls for its 2019 manuscripts

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa

Among the top 10 Andika na Soma 2018 entrants
Ayubu Mashaka Eid reading a book in the workshop

As Adam Shafi met them awe read in their eyes, “Meeting Adam Shafi was just surreal. I’m taking HGK so his book ‘Vuta N’ kuvute’ is in my syllabus, reading it wasn’t tedious as you’d expect from assigned books, I totally enjoyed it. Meeting him in person as he shared his journey in becoming a writer, how it hadn’t always been easy. He has been thrown in jail for his work and yet he never gave up. This really inspired me.”

Ayubu Mashaka Eid among the top ten student winners of the ‘andika na soma’ literary short story competition for 2018, shares highlights of his journey in this competition.

Facilitator Elias Mutani, inside the
Andika na Soma workshop 2018, coacing the top 10

At the beginning of the 2018 calls were placed in various secondary schools in Tanzania, so students could send their short stories to the theme ‘poverty’ for the ‘Andika na Soma’ literary competition. Last year marked 10 years since the competition began, ran by E&D Readership and Development Agency popularly known as Soma.

It’s had five annual rounds working with donor sponsors who haven’t always been easy to come by. For instance in thisround the Irish Embassy supported half of the budget for running this competition, the rest was on Soma a local NGO advocating for literature for development in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The Top 10 contenstants for Andika na Soma 2018,
pose with famous author Adam Shafi-front row 3rd from left

“I think just literature in any country is so monumental, as it speaks truth to power, points out key issues in a relatable manner, portrays the locale. It’s also an art form that people enjoy. I really think if we don’t produce good literature, then who knows you? I remember every place I’ve gone to abroad and I’m the only Tanzanian. People will be like you guys have literature, it will be such a shock for them to see a Tanzanian there…” Neema Komba shares her thoughts on the importance of literature in a country. In 2018 she was among the facilitators that provided a week long workshop, awarded to the top ten contestants of this competition.

From left Demere Kitunga Director of SOMA,
Miss Neema Komba and Otilia Haule
receiving her present of books worth 500,000Tshs

Neema Komba is a budding writer in Tanzania, she was the 2014 winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature in the Flash Fiction category, an award she received in Nigeria. She has worked with notable editors like Ellah Wakatama Allfrey. With her work appearing in international Short Story anthologies, including ‘The Search for Magical Mbuji’; ‘Then & Now’ as well this year’s ‘Payback and other stories’.

Another facilitator who accompanied her in running the week long workshop for the top ten contestants-Cecilia Mugimbila, Emmanuel Minja, Ayubu Mashaka Eid, Irene Severin Magayane, Otilia Angela Haule, Thandi Bahati Mtema, Raphael Robert Mwijonge, Alpheji J. Diamon, Aidan Justin Mtungi na Mashaka Said. Was Elias Mutani, this is his third time participating as either judge or facilitator in the ‘andika na soma’ competition.

The top ten contesntants pose for photo
with their hosts from SOMA team in Dec last year

A mentor for the youth, he is the author of several books mostly in the young adult genre, including three which have won the Burt Award for African Literature. These titles include ‘The little missionary with a Golden paper knife’ and ‘Human Poachers’; he is a psychotherapist and an entrepreneur. 

“I think they have been missing storytelling skills, you can find one short story with ten characters but out of these only two or three are really important. Or you can find in one short story three conflicts, yet a short story many times benefits from one conflict..” Elias Mutani explains the challenges he faced in working with the manuscripts by the students handed in for the 2018 competition.

Top 10 Andika na Soma 2018 contesntants
visit E&D Vision Publishers Ltd in Dar es Salaam

The judges in this latest round included Godfrey Nishomari an editor & an author, Janet Namara Gabone an English teacher at Loyola Sec School and Elias Mutani. The manuscripts received tallied to 250 entries, these were sent to Soma headquarters. Who then scrubbed off the names and left only index numbers, so the judges would have no bias while marking the manuscripts. They also disqualified 100 entries giving the judges 150 entries, as these didn’t follow the basic guidelines like word count and sticking to the theme.

The top ten 2018 andika na soma finalists as in previous years, arrived in Dar es Salaam. They were inside Soma’s residence on the 3^rd of December, ready to participate in their literary workshop. They met authors, visited publishing houses and all of them re-wrote or edited their works based on the new skills they gained from the workshop.

The top 10 inside Andika na Soma 2018 workshop hosted at Soma Offices

On the 7^th of Dec, a small prize giving ceremony was held at Soma’s residence in Ada Estate in Dar es Salaam for their honor. Performers like Vitali Maembe serenaded the crowd and then the top five were announced.

In third position for girls was Louisa Mapunda but as she was prohibited by her parent to participate in this workshop; she was replaced by Cecilia Mugimbila. Cecilia received 100,000 Tshs as well books to the same worth for herself. In third position for boys the was Emmanuel Minja who also received 100,000Tshs as well books worth the same amount for himself.

The 1^st runner up for girls was Irene Severin Magayane, she was awarded 250,000Tshs as well books worth the same amount for herself. The same prize was given to the 1st runner up for boys namely Ayubu Mashaka Eid.

The winner for the 2018 Andika na Soma literary competition is Otilia Angela Haule, she had also participated in last year’s competition and got into the top 10. However she didn’t win anything so she tried again and lo behold she won.

Winner of Andika na Soma 2018 Miss Otilia Haule,
inside the top 10 workshop held for the contestants last week at SOMA

“It’s something I didn’t expect or think much about but I trusted that I had written something good. Though after my name was called I was really happy, I felt such peace it’s hard to explain.” Otilia shares, she received 500,000Tshs including books for herself worth the same amount, she was also given books worth 500,000Tshs to give to her school library of St Luis in Songea.

Andika na Soma literary competition is taking entries for 2019, the theme is ‘death and other disasters caused by outdated customs in society' the language is Kiswahili. The deadline is March 30, 2019 and entrants must be secondary school students or youths under 19, stories can be sent to SOMA P.O.Box 4460 DSM. On the front page is where entrants can write their names with phone no's of their head teacher or parent, this page should be separate from the story. The word count is for at least 1000 words and not beyond 3000 words.

Photos taken by Jackson Fute

This article was first published in the Daily News Tanzania newspaper.