BONN – Germany has gained its first-ever prize for Black German writing, with a call for submissions of unpublished work for the May Ayim Awards, the Bonn office of UNESCO said Tuesday.

The German UNESCO Commission said the award would bring Black German authors in from the fringes and encourage greater awareness of the life experiences of Blacks in western Europe’s most populous nation.

The award is also part of UNESCO’s year to commemorate the abolition of slavery.

The eligibility rules are broadly drawn, with poetry or fiction in both German and English allowed. Entries should deal with black life in Germany, or as the rules add, “worldwide, or be based on general human topics”.

The winner, to receive a sculpture along with EUR 250, will be announced 29 October in Berlin. A second and third prize will also be awarded.

The prize is named after May Ayim (1960-1996), whose poetry and essays bolstered the assurance of Black Germans. She was a co-founder of the Organization of Black Germans and Blacks in Germany. http://www.cybernomads.net

DPA

Subject: German news