Innocent Chizaram Ilo Wins Commonwealth Short Story Prize
”When A Woman Renounces Motherhood” – A short story by Nigerian born writer Innocent Chizaram Ilo recently won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize as a regional winner for Africa.
The cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation was established to inspire, develop and connect writers & storytellers across the Commonwealth countries. The stories are expected to be written in English but can be translated from other languages.
Chizaram Ilo is the youngest writer at 23 years old to win the Africa regional prize since the award was established in 2012. The award-winning story is about the bond between a woman and her mother in the face of tradition. He was commended for his use of the Igbo language and Pidgin. The story was particularly striking for brilliantly switching between languages.
The regional prize was awarded to the five regional winners with each receiving 2,500 pounds and a publication with Granta, a renowned literary journal.
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The regional prize judge, Mohale Mashigo stated that Chizaram’s short story was one tells you something shocking and yet leaves you with empathy for the characters in the story and makes you want to read more.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it; you know you always dream of this moment, how you’ll scream from the rooftops and rent your clothes. Then it comes by sudden and the only thing you do is call your mother and cry over the phone about how proud your father would have been if he was alive, this means so much to me. I feel grateful honoured, proud and humbled at the same time. This is one of those moments that make me look back at all the late nights and piles of rejection emails and say, ’Maybe, just maybe, this writing thing is worth it” Chizaram stated.
Chizaram Ilo has been a finalist for the Gerald Krakk award and the Short Story Day Africa prize; his works have been featured in Fireside Magazine Overland, Strange Horizons, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores and Cast of Wonders. He has also won the Africa YMCA and Oxford Festival of Arts short story contests.
We congratulate Chizaram Ilo on his win and we know he will continue to soar.