Nincemon Fallé: winner of the “Voices of Africa” literary prize 2024
The “Voix d’Afriques” literary prize, created by RFI and JC Lattès editions in partnership with the Cité Internationale des arts in Paris, rewards for its 4th edition Nincemon Fallé, young Ivorian author aged 22, for his first novel
These suns ardent
.
Nincemon Fallé winner of the 2024 Voices of Africa Prize © DR
By: Catherine Fruchon-Toussaint
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Nincemon Fallé had dreamed of the “Voices of Africa” Prize since its creation, but he had not yet dared to participate. Born in Bondoukou, in the north-east of Côte d'Ivoire, in a family of four children of which he is the eldest, the 22-year-old winner has been writing since adolescence, but a perfectionist, he preferred to wait until his manuscript was to live up to its ambitions. And by constantly correcting it, he almost jeopardized his candidacy by sending his text via the internet only ten minutes before the end of the competition. Without news for months, he was very surprised and very happy to receive a call from the editor Anne-Sophie Stefanini to first tell him that he had been elected among hundreds of participants.
The prize is in fact a call for manuscripts aimed at all those aged 18 to 30 who write in French on the African continent and wish to see their first novel published in France by JC Lattès editions, partners of RFI for this literary award which encourages the emergence of young talents.
This is also the example of the first winner of the “Voix d’Afriques” prize, the Ivorian author Yaya Diomandé, who encouraged Nincemon Fallé to believe in the possibility of being published. It was a “
trigger
”, he says, whereas until then he thought it was a “
mission impossible
” whether in an Ivorian, or moreover French, publishing house. Hence his immense joy at having won this prize. When announcing it to his mother, he said he was moved to “
see her dancing
” with happiness.
After university studies, Nincemon Fallé settled in Abidjan in the Yopougon district, where he is an independent graphic designer. Passionate about comics, he chose fiction to tell the doubts and hopes of two young Ivorian students facing an often uncertain future. His novel
These ardent suns
also questions family, traditions and the links between fathers and sons when the elder stays in the village and the younger goes to university. A first novel which won the majority of votes from the jury, chaired this year by the Senegalese writer, Goncourt Prize winner, Mohammed Mbougar Sarr, a model for the winner.
Nincemon Fallé will receive his prize on March 20, international day of the French language in the world, in Yaoundé at the French Institute of Cameroon, and the same day his novel will be published by JC Lattès. With this recognition, he says he sees “
a new horizon opening up for him, but also for all young Ivorian authors
”, because for him this prize is proof that it is possible today to be published and read in his country and beyond its borders.
These burning suns Voix d’Afriques prize 2024 © éditions JC Lattès
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