Storymoja Hay Festival Writer Wins $500,000

Kenya is finally getting international recognition in the showbiz arena now that more and more accolades are heading code 254. Well, a guest writer during the Storymoja Hay Festival 2012 has become a recipient of the 2012 $500,000 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.

Ethiopian born, US based Dinaw Mengestu won the coveted prize thanks to his “The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears” and “How to Read the Air” books. The author is the latest entrant in a group of other people in diverse fields to get this grant where the winner walks away with a whooping US$100,000 for five years.

The only African who has ever won the award is Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie back in 2008 for her books; “Half of a yellow sun” and “Purple Hibiscus”.

Congrats lad.