Author Beatrice Onyele (right) reading from her book at the 2017 Frankfurt Immigration Book Fair / Photo: Frankfurter Immigrationsbuchmesse e. V.

Frankfurt-based Nigerian author wins award

“Chikwe – Es Bleibt Ein Traum” (Chikwe – A Forlorn Dream), a book about a Nigerian migrant’s tragic odyssey, has been awarded the Immigration Book Fair Book Prize 2017.

The author of the book is Beatrice Onyele (76), a retired nurse based in Frankfurt who has been living in Germany since 1966.

She wrote the book in German language.

“The jury agreed on the decision to pay tribute to your work “Chikwe” because it is an impressive book dealing with immigration, integration, human rights, peace and international understanding,” the organisers of the Frankfurt Immigration Book Fair wrote in a letter to the author.

Ms Onyele received the prize’s honorary certificate and a 200-euro cash gift at the opening ceremony of the Fair on 10 March in Frankfurt.

The 6th Frankfurt Immigration Book Fair took place from 10-12 March. The three-day event featured readings, book presentations, art exhibitions, discussions, theatre, lectures, dance and music from all over the world.

The focus of the Fair is on authors whose mother tongue is not German but write in German or German writers dealing with issues of migration. All readings are in German.

The Frankfurt Immigration Book Fair, organised by a voluntary association of publishers, authors, scholars, artists and journalists, promotes an intercultural dialogue between people from different countries of origin and for a respectful and peaceful coexistence.

The Fair, which takes place annually since 2011, awarded the Immigration Book Fair Prize this year for the first time. // Vivian Asamoah

Read a review of “Chikwe”

 

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