Alitheia Capital proudly announces its sponsorship of the inaugural Global Black Women’s Non-fiction Manuscript Prize, an initiative organised by Cassava Republic Press. The prize, valued at $30,000, is designed to amplify the voices of Black women writers from across Africa and its diasporas. It is the latest iteration in Alitheia’s ongoing efforts to amplify and support women.
As a pioneering private equity firm dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs, Alitheia Capital has been at the forefront of gender equality and empowering female talent within and beyond the financial sector. Alitheia has demonstrated this commitment through initiatives such as Alitheia IDF, the first and largest gender lens fund in Africa; and the Nzinga and Think Scale programmes, which focus on developing the capacity and skills of early-stage gender-diverse businesses and preparing them for institutional capital and expansion for scale.
By sponsoring the Global Black Women’s Non-fiction Manuscript Prize, Alitheia Capital reaffirms its commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion, supporting women of African descent (a historically underrepresented demographic), and ensuring that the voices and impact of Black women are acknowledged, etched into history, and celebrated.
The sponsorship further demonstrates Alitheia’s belief in the transformative power of storytelling, knowledge, and women. Through narratives, stereotypes are challenged, change is inspired, knowledge is built, history is preserved, and social change is prompted. In addition, a diversified knowledge system is crucial for a prosperous society as it enriches knowledge, fosters innovation, promotes inclusion and equity, and supports resilience. Sponsorship of this prize exemplifies Alitheia’s commitment to these values by providing a platform for historically underrepresented voices.
The Global Black Women’s Non-fiction Manuscript Prize is a landmark moment for Black women’s voices in literature, bridging the gap between creativity, praxis, and theory. It values Black women as storytellers, critical thinkers, and knowledge-makers. The prize champions rigorous, imaginative writings that are critical and empowering.
The judging panel for this prize, chaired by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, includes leading literary figures such as Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan feminist and legal scholar; Natalie Baszile, an African American author and filmmaker; Carole Boyce-Davies, a Caribbean-American feminist and literary scholar; and Panashe Chigumadzi, a Zimbabwean-South African scholar, historian, and essayist.
Through this initiative, Cassava Republic Press in partnership with Alitheia aims to uncover and elevate critical ideas. We invite Black women writers to submit their manuscripts by June 30, 2024. For submission guidelines and more details, please visit the Cassava Republic Press website.
