The CODE Burt Award “is a literary award and readership initiative that recognizes excellence in locally authored literature for young adults, ages 12-18. The objective of the prize is to champion literacy, build language skills, and foster the love and habit of reading by ensuring that young people have access to high-quality, culturally relevant, and engaging reading materials” (CODE Burt Award for Young Adult Literature).
Based in Canada, CODE first established the foundation in Tanzania, but it has eventually spread to Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Caribbean. This award was designed to honor authors from Africa who create and publish books in support of young literature. The importance of literature among young adolescents is growing in Africa and many authors are being awarded for their efforts. Authors in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and Tanzania are trying to encourage younger adolescents to read and become more interested in literature.
The CODE Burt Award for Ghanaian Young Adult Literature and the Ghana Book Trust have worked together to improve literacy within schools in Ghana. This specific award encourages authors who are improving language skills among younger readers and are instilling a love of reading among readers. Ruby Yayra Goka from Ghana was the winner of the 2018 CODE Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature for her book To Kiss a Girl. This novel is about a young girl who loses her older sister and must cope with her death. This is a coming of age novel that highlights the importance of family and adolescent life.
CODE-Ethiopia is another organization, located in Ethiopia, that works with the Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature. This is an award that recognizes authors of young adult literature. Publishing companies and industries are improving in Ethiopia, so recognizing talented authors is critical in the establishment of literate young adults.
Kenya and Tanzania also have separate organizations that work with CODE. For example, Kenya has the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) that supports reading among young adults and reading in general in Kenya. These programs are helping schools and primary schools incorporate more reading and literature into the curriculum. Tanzania works with the Children’s Book Project (CBP), which is an “award-winning literacy organization.”
All of these organizations are critical in creating an environment for young adults in Africa where they can learn the significance of being able to read. Not only are these awards and organizations critical in creating an environment for readers, but they are creating an environment for authors in Africa. We tend to focus on American authors and their work on YA literature, but African authors are writing novels for YA readers as well and should be acknowledged. Being able to read and experience things we can relate to or learn from is tremendously important for young adults. Whether that be in the United States or in Africa, literature opens the doors for all younger adults.
Works Cited
“African Young Adult Literature.” CODE, CODE’s Burt Literary Awards, 2018. www.burtaward.org/african-young-adult-lit