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Ukamaka Evelyn Olisakwe (born 24 October 1982) is a
Nigerianfeminist author, short-story writer, and
screenwriter. In 2014 she was chosen as one of 39 of
Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40, showcased in the
Africa39 project[1] and included in the
anthologyAfrica39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara (edited by
Ellah Allfrey).[2][3][4]
Olisakwe's debut novel, Eyes of a Goddess, was published in 2012.[7][8][9]
She has written numerous short stories and articles, most of which have appeared in blogs and online journals, including Olisa.tv, Saraba, Sentinel Nigeria and Short Story Day Africa.[10] She has been featured in the
BBC.[11][12] Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and various magazines including the Nigerian Telegraph and African Hadithi.[13] She wrote the screenplay for The Calabash,[14][15] a television series produced and directed by
Obi Emelonye and premiered in January 2015 on Africa Magic Showcase.[16]
Olisakwe administers the blog for the Writivism Mentorship Programme, a project of the Centre for African Cultural Excellence, and was a co-facilitator at the Lagos Workshop.[17]
She was a guest and panel member at the 2014
Ake Arts and Books Festival[18][19] and the
Hay Festival.[20]
Olisakwe was selected as one of the 39 most promising writers under the age of 40 from
Sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora, in the
Africa39 project[21] – a
Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club initiative in celebration of the
UNESCOWorld Book Capital 2014 – and is included in the anthology Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara (edited by
Ellah Allfrey). Olisakwe's contribution, "This Is How I Remember it", was described by one reviewer as "a clear-eyed account of a girl's romantic awakening in Nigeria" and a story "so good it leaves us wanting more",[22] while another reviewer described it as a "gripping story about adolescent romance, deception and yearning".[23]
Olisakwe was a guest at the 2015 Writivism Festival in
Kampala, Uganda, where she taught a fiction master-class.[26] On 28 May 2015, she spoke on how "You Could Stop The Next Maternal Death Statistic" at
TEDxGarki.[27]