Spears Media Press is proud to announce the submission of its first entry, The Widow’s Cross into the recently rebranded 9mobile Prize for Literature. Published in September 2016, The Widow’s Cross is Fort Hare sociologist, Ike Umejesi’s debut novel about the travails of a young mother in rural Nigeria.
Recently widowed, Angelina Ibe, a smart, evangelical Christian and school teacher goes on an early morning “evangelising mission” and intentionally kills a python, a venerated totem in her community, Umuocha. This abominable act – at least viewed from the community’s perspective, brings her into direct collision with Umuocha’s guardians of tradition, led by the arch-conservative prime minister of Umuocha, Mazi Ikenga. Inevitably, the Igwe (King) of Umuocha, formerly a lawyer with a thriving practice in England, is embroiled in the drama. Whose side will he take and how far does Angelina’s battle go?
The 9mobile Prize for Literature is the first ever pan-African prize celebrating first time writers of published fiction books. The prize aims to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative talent out of the continent and it promotes the burgeoning publishing industry in Africa. Launched in 2013, past winners include the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila (2015), South Africa’s Songeziwe Mahlangu (2014) and Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo (2013).
We are deeply excited about this opportunity to showcase Dr. Umejesi’s work and wish him well in the competition. Published in both paperback and Kindle, the book may be purchased on Amazon and other online retail platforms.
