Kama Sywor Kamanda

Kama Sywor Kamanda (Source: Wikimedia Commons, Cornischong at Luxembourgish Wikipedia, CC-BY-1.0) On 11 November 1952, Congolese writer, poet, novelist, playwright, essayist and storyteller Kama Sywor Kamanda was born in Luebo, Belgian Congo. He was the founding president of the African Association of Writers. As a writer he subsequently produced a considerable body of literary work, including a dozen anthologies of poetry, several hundred stories, as well as several novels.

Kamanda grew up in southern Congo and in Léopoldville, nowadays Kinshasa. After publishing a first collection of stories at the age of 15, he studied literature, journalism, political science, philosophy and law, and worked in journalism. In 1970, he participated in the creation of the Union of Congolese Writers (Union des écrivains congolais). Forced to leave the Congo in 1977 due to his political activities, Kamanda lived in various European countries before settling in Luxembourg in 1998.

Kamanda's works have been translated into many languages, including English, Japanese, Italian, and Greek. He has earned several major prizes and distinctions, including the Paul Verlaine Prize from the Académie française (1987), the Louise Labé Prize (1990), the Black Africa Grand Prize for Literature (1991), and the Théophile Gautier prize (1993) from the Académie française.

(Source: Wikipedia & Das Luxemburger Autorenlexikon)