We are delighted to announce the winner of the 2022 Toyin Falola Prize, which received an overwhelming response from African writers. After careful consideration, the judges have selected Abdulrahim Hussani as the winner of the 2022 Toyin Falola Prize for his outstanding piece titled “Arewa Boys”. Hussani’s story is thought-provoking, insightful, and beautifully crafted, leaving a lasting impression on all of us, including the judges.
Fayssal Bensalah, one of the judges for the prize, notes: “A moving story. ‘Arewa Boys’ is masterfully paced, executed in a hypnotic and seamless prose. The writer provokes sadness, but then unexpectedly replaces it with patience and steadfastness. It’s about the pain of national mobility and naïve ambitions. It’s about an alienation felt within the borders of one’s country. It’s about beautiful creatures who do not ask for attention, who persevere quietly and remain patient in the face of eccentricity and realism. Arewa Boys—eccentric yet ambitious, in pain yet steadfast. It is reminiscent of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘You in America.’ “
At LUNARIS, we extend our warmest congratulations to Abdulrahim Hussani on this remarkable achievement. Also, we like to thank all the participants for their efforts and enthusiasm, and wish them success in their writing journey.
About the Winner
Abdulrahim Hussani is a graduate of Pure Chemistry from Usmanu DanFodio University. A writer, editor and freelancer, he is a finalist for the 2022 Gerald Kraak Award and the 2021 Albert Jungers Poetry Prize. He is the winner of the 2019 Poetically Written Prose Contest. He was a semifinalist for the Boston Review 2019 Aura Estrada Short Story Contest, a 2018 Africa Book Club short story contest finalist, and was shortlisted for the 2019 ACT Award. He also won the 2016 Green Author Prize.
His works are forthcoming or have appeared in The Evergreen Review, Boston Review, The Other Foundation, 2022 Gerald Kraak Anthology, 20:35 Africa, IHRAF, Praxis, Africa Book Club Anthology 2018, and Memento (an anthology of contemporary Nigerian poets). He is currently working on his debut collection of short stories. He lives in Northern Nigeria.
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