2023-11-06 07:53:29
The national literature competition called “Benin Literary Grand Prize” delivered its verdict on Friday November 3, 2023 in Cotonou. For the 5th consecutive time, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts has demonstrated its commitment to encouraging and promoting literary creation in Benin.
After the welcome address from Mr. William CODJO, Director General of the Arts and Culture Development Agency (ADAC), Minister Babalola Jean-Michel H. ABIMBOLA once again recalled the importance of this activity which, now established as an annual event, in line with the government’s vision of revealing our cultural exception.
“The Grand Prix highlights the ability of an author to touch the hearts and minds of their audience, through a work that transcends borders and brings readers together around a story, an idea or a feeling. In this regard, the award-winning authors in recent years have all seduced us with their different universes carried by stories which invite us to rethink our perspectives and to explore worlds where tradition and modernity mix,” confided the Minister in charge of culture. Which makes the winner of the Literary Grand Prize and those of the two special prizes instituted since the 2021 edition (Editor’s Prize and Literary Columnist Journalist Prize) ambassadors of Beninese culture. Because, he will add, revealing Benin to its daughters and sons and to the world, also involves the mobility of the writer, the circulation of his work and its accessibility. To do this, the Ministry in charge of culture has reaffirmed its commitment to giving more visibility to the winners and their works through a promotion program focused on cultural magazines and specialized broadcasts.
Minister Babalola Jean-Michel ABIMBOLA also took advantage of this forum of the “Benin Literary Grand Prize” to present to the actors of the book chain the magnificent work that is being done at the national library of Benin with the Program for digitizing the documentary funds of the structure and the various reforms.
At the end of the deliberation, it was the writer Florent Codjo HOUNDJO who was crowned “Benin Literary Grand Prize” for this 5th edition with his play entitled “Dans les Limbes”. He left with the trophy and a check worth 05 million CFA francs. The publishing house Christon Éditions won the “Editor’s Prize” and will be rewarded with the trophy and a check for 3 million CFA francs. As for the second special prize called “Literary Journalist Chronicler Prize”, it was won by Teddy GANDIGBE from the newspaper Matin Libre.
QA November 6, 2023
#winners #distinguished