Out Of Africa: Ivorian-French Writer Veronique Tadjo Wins 2025 Prix Ivoire For Francophone African Literature
Tadjo, has been awarded for her novel, Je remercie la nuit (I Thank the Night), published by Mémoire d’Encrier in 2024. The jury, chaired by writer and playwright Werewere Liking-Gnépo, praised the novel for its examination of Côte d’Ivoire’s recent political turbulence. They described encountering in the work “this screaming light that permeates the reader’s mind” and noted […]
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Tadjo, has been awarded for her novel, Je remercie la nuit (I Thank the Night), published by Mémoire d’Encrier in 2024.
The jury, chaired by writer and playwright Werewere Liking-Gnépo, praised the novel for its examination of Côte d’Ivoire’s recent political turbulence. They described encountering in the work “this screaming light that permeates the reader’s mind” and noted how Tadjo constructs a narrative about an Africa “moving forward like a drunken dancer constantly searching for their step.”
A special mention was given to Cameroonian journalist and writer, Christian Eboulé, for Le Testament de Charles (Afrédit, 2025).
In her acceptance remarks, Tadjo explained that she wrote the novel to center the human cost of political crises, focusing on two students, Flora and Yasmina, who represent a generation “condemned to pay the price for the mistakes of their elders.” The book also draws connections with South Africa, exploring what African nations can learn from one another. Tadjo described her work as “first and foremost a love story, a celebration of the beauty of art, and a tribute to resilience.”
Born in Paris, Tadjo grew up in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire where she attended local schools. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Abidjan and a doctorate from the Sorbonne, Paris IV, in African American Literature and Civilisation. In 1983, she went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. on a Fulbright research scholarship.
She received the Literary Prize of L’Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique in 1983 and the UNICEF Prize in 1993 for Mamy Wata and the Monster, which was also chosen as one of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, one of only four children’s books selected.
In the past few years, Tadjo has facilitated workshops in writing and illustrating children’s books in Mali, the Benin Republic, Chad, Haiti, Mauritius, French Guiana, Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa. She has also been a member of judging panels for several international literary prizes.
The Prix Ivoire for Francophone African Literature, established in 2008 by Akwaba Culture, celebrates works written in French by African writers or publishers from the continent and diaspora. Tadjo’s win carries a cash award of two million CFA Francs (approximately 3,000 euros) a trophy, and an invitation to the Geneva Book Fair. Previous recipients include Azza Filali (2024), Jennifer Richard (2023), and Hemley Boum (2013).
Tadjo’s recognition underscores the continued vitality of francophone African literature and its engagement with the continent’s political and social realities.
