Monica Arac de Nyeko (born 1979) is a Ugandan writer of short fiction, poetry, and essays, living in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya.Monica Arac de Nyeko
african-writing.com. Retrieved 5 May 2014. In 2007, she became the first Ugandan to win the

Caine Prize for African Writing The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2000, the £10,000 prize was named ...

,2007 winner: MONICA ARAC DE NYEKO
caineprize.com. Retrieved 5 May 2014. .Michelle Pauli (10 July 2007)
"Love story wins 'African Booker
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Retrieved 5 May 2014. with her story "Jambula Tree". She had previously been shortlisted for the prize in 2004 for "Strange Fruit", a story about child soldiers in

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

, Northern Uganda.Interview with Monica Arac de Nyeko
''Pambazuka'', 26 February 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2014. She is a member of FEMRITE – Uganda Women Writers Association and the chief editor of ''T:AP Voices''. She taught literature and English at St. Mary's College Kisubi, before proceeding to pursue a Master's degree in Humanitarian Assistance at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

. Her personal essay "In the Stars" won first prize in the Women's World, Women in War Zones essay writing competition. She has been published in ''Memories of Sun'', ''The Nation'', ''IS'' magazine, ''

Poetry International Poetry International may refer to: * Poetry International Web, a webzine and poetry archive of the Poetry International Foundation * Poetry International Festival, an annual poetry festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands * Poetry International, an annua ...

'' and several other publications.Monica Arac De Nyeko – Caine Prize 2007
kenyanpoet.com, 16 July 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2014. She was one of the writers chosen as part of the

Africa39 Africa39 was a collaborative project initiated by the Hay Festival in partnership with Rainbow Book Club, celebrating Port Harcourt: UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 by identifying 39 of the most promising writers under the age of 40 with the potenti ...

project unveiled by Rainbow,

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was d ...

and

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in ...

at the

London Book Fair The London Book Fair (LBF) is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. LBF is a global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and d ...

2014, featuring a list of 39 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40.Africa39 "list of artists". April 8,2014
hayfestival.com. Retrieved 9 April 2014.Farrington, Joshua (8 April 2014)
"Africa39 list of promising writers revealed"
''

The Bookseller ''The Bookseller'' is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Philip Jones is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine and the website. The magazine is home to the ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddes ...

''. Retrieved 8 August 2024."Chimamanda, Tope Folarin, Stanley Kenani, others make Africa 39 list"
''CityVoice'', 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014. ."Africa 39 List is out"
, Lesleigh, 9 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.Monica ARAC DE NYEKO
hayfestival.com. Retrieved 5 May 2014.Africa39 Authors Biographies
, hayfestival.com. Retrieved 11 April 2014.

Early life and education

Arac de Nyeko comes from

Kitgum Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Municipality Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and th ...

district in northern

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. She grew up mostly in Kampala, but attended high school in Gulu, northern Uganda, for some years. She has a degree in Education from

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

, and a master's degree in Humanitarian Assistance from the

in The Netherlands. While at Makerere she was an active member of FEMRITE – Uganda Women Writers Association,"FEMRITE Achievements and Milestones"
FEMRITE – Uganda Women Writers' Association. Retrieved 22 August 2011. which she has credited for giving her "a place and space to write with a network of support and mentorship—handy when you are starting out."Matthew, Lois (2009)
"FEMRITE and Ugandan Women Writers"
''Belletrista''. Retrieved 26 August 2011. She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora ...

'', edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

Writing

In 2007, Arac de Nyeko won the

Caine Prize The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2000, the £10,000 prize was named ...

for her short story " Jambula Tree",Taboo' story takes African prize"
BBC, 10 July 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2014. which is about two teenage girls falling in love and facing an unforgiving community as a result. One of Arac de Nyeko's other notable stories is "Strange Fruit", which contains an allusion to the song of the same name, and was shortlisted for the Caine Prize in 2004.Donna Bryson (10 July 2007)
"Ugandan Wins African Writing Prize"
''Washington Post'', 10 July 207.

Published works

Essays

* "Pastor Love", in

Short stories

*"Jambula Tree", in * "Back Home", in *"Jambula Tree", in * "Jambula Tree", in * "Strange Fruit", in * "Grasshopper Redness", in * "October Sunrise", in * "Bride Price for my Daughter", in * "Chained", in
"Jambula tree"
in AGNI online, 2008

in author-me, 2004

References

External links

"Ugandan Writers: One on One with Monica Arac de Nyeko, 2007 Caine Prize Winner"
AfroLit

in the ''East African Standard''.

*Raymond Mpubani

''Daily Monitor'', 20 October 2012

*[http://www.awdf.org/meet-monica-arac-de-nyeko-2007-caine-prize-winner-who-will-be-reading-at-women-of-the-world-talking-about-a-revolution/ "Meet Monica Arac de Nyeko, 2007 Caine Prize Winner who will be reading at ‘Women of the World: Talking about a Revolution’"], AWDF, 28 February 2013
"monica arac de nyeko wins the caine prize"
21 July 2007
"Monica Arac de Nyeko (Uganda)"
Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal {{DEFAULTSORT:Nyeko, Monica Arac de 1979 births Living people Makerere University alumni University of Groningen alumni 21st-century Ugandan poets Ugandan women short story writers Ugandan women poets 21st-century Ugandan women writers People from Kitgum District Caine Prize winners 21st-century Ugandan short story writers