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ABI DARÉ - WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL CLIMATE FICTION PRIZE WITH SECOND NOVEL, “AND SO I ROAR”

Congratulations to Nigeria’s Abi Daré on winning the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize. On 13th March 2025, the final day of the London Book Fair, it was my interest in sustainability that took me to the session titled, Climate Fiction: The Rapid Rise of Climate Storytelling .

Taking place in the Focus Theatre, Hall 1, rather than restrict itself to the survey outcomes implied in the panel topic, I was glad to find conversation between the 2 discussants focusing almost exclusively on it. The speakers were the prize judge, Madeleine Bunting, and Lucy Stone, founder of Climate Spring, the organization which hosts the Climate Fiction Prize.

It is a glorious initiative which has already seen long-listed books snapped up by renowned streaming platforms for screen adaptations. Projected onto the screen was a sample of the long-listed books. They included Water Baby, a novel by Nigerian author, Chioma Okereke.

The women talked about Climate Spring, where Stone works with leading screen industry and climate experts. Through the organization, they seek to harness the power of film and TV to shift how society perceives and responds to the climate crisis. In a recent LinkedIn post, she announced the shortlist:
The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre, Hodder)
And So I Roar - Abi Daré (Sceptre, Hodder)

Briefly, Very Beautiful -Roz Dineen (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Orbital – Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, Penguin Random House)
The Morningside - Téa Obreht (Penguin Random House)

That 2 Nigerians, Chioma Okereke and Abi Daré, were recognized as heavy-hitters on these high-profile lists of the best climate fiction, was gratifying on two fronts: national pride is one. The other: Africa's peculiar position within the Anthropocene. Tackling climate change in Africa, and equally, tackling advocacy around it is crucial. To do this, we need compelling storytelling by engaged African writers.

Let me quote from Chichi Aniagolu's essay, Energy Transition & African Narratives: " (While recognizing that) humanity needs to drastically cut carbon emissions before damage to the earth becomes irreversible ... the importance of reducing carbon emissions) must not be made a priority for Africa because Africa's contribution to carbon emissions is about 4% - with average emissions per person at only 0.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, compared to the global average of 4.8 tonnes...However, that Africa is contributing very little to climate change, does not mean that climate change does not Affect Africa or that Africa doesn't have to do anything about climate change. On the contrary, the continent is experiencing the consequences of climate change. Crops are failing, weather is changing, water is drying up and so forth. Indeed, nowhere on the planet is feeling climate change’s effect more than in Africa. Our narratives going forward, therefore, must not only focus on the challenges but the opportunities this moment presents for Africa as a continent. We must highlight Africa's contribution to the climate stability of the world. We must change the story of Africa being only a victim of climate change requiring help, to an Africa that is also a climate action and mitigation champion!" (Energy Transition & African Narratives by Chichi Aniagolu. Development Agenda. Quarter 4. 2024) (Chichi Aniagolu is the current Director (West Africa) of the Ford Foundation).

On 15th May 2025, bbc.com announced that Nigerian author, Abi Daré, emerged winner of the first ever Climate Fiction Prize with And So I Roar, the sequel to her bestselling debut, The Girl with the Louding Voice. BBC.com describes the novel as a study of the lives of rural women and girls in Nigeria, whose lives are impacted by environmental collapse. It quotes the author’s reaction to her win:
“As a Black-British-Nigerian woman, receiving this prize is a reminder that we do not need to wait for permission to step into global conversations or to contort our stories to fit a certain lens”
I shall read Abi Daré’s history-making book which beat even Orbital, Samantha Harvey’s 2024 Booker Prize winning novel. It will be the first review in 4 years that I have published in the Borders SDG Book Club where I can already see it festooned with that colourful array of SDGs with urgent climate-related themes.

What sort of approaches will Daré adopt towards climate justice in Africa? Will her fiction build any kind of case for Africa’s peculiar position within the Anthropocene?

I will read her book with an open mind, while examining the way she leverages her prowess to tell what is hopefully a truly compelling Nigerian tale of climate injustice.