The 2025 Island Prize, the fourth year it has been running, has reached the climax: the announcement of the winner. Past winners and runners-up have been published successfully, with the most recent of these, Braids & migraines by Andile Cele, highly praised by all who have read it.
This year’s competition has once more attracted nearly 200 entries from across the continent, and the range of subjects, styles, and genres has been greater than ever before. The depth of talent in Africa has been demonstrated by the sheer difficulty of selecting a longlist of nine, which could easily have been twice as many. The shortlist was no easier, and we chose five instead of the expected three. Now, rather than one winner, we have had to name two: Night dancer by Zabu Wamara of Uganda, and In the valley of bones by Kristien Potgieter of South Africa.
Two very different novels, each with an original story and important themes, told in distinctive voices.
Night dancer by Zabu Wamara (Uganda)
Amani, a trainee therapist, is recovering from a breakdown caused by the death of her best friend. Her first day back at work feels routine until she meets Kay, a patient whose wounds mirror her own. Drawn to the girl’s pain and the disturbing signs that something is wrong with her treatment, Amani makes it her mission to help. But standing in her way is Cosmas, a charismatic colleague from a distant village, whose beliefs and background challenge everything Amani knows. As they clash over Kay’s care, each pulled by seemingly parallel faiths, Amani’s concern deepens into obsession. Her judgement falters and the line between healing and harm blurs as she faces the conflict between traditional and modern beliefs, leading to a terrifying climax.
Zabu Wamara is a Ugandan writer based in Kampala. She holds an MA in creative writing (prose fiction) from the University of East Anglia, where she graduated with distinction as a Global Voices Scholar. Her work has appeared in the Ugandan cohort’s anthology under the International Chair of Creative Writing project and The Weganda Review. In 2024, she attended the Miles Morland African Writers’ residency. She was recently longlisted for the 2025 Afritondo Short Story Prize and selected for the 2025 Pfumo Collective cohort for CITIZEN: A manifesto.
In the valley of bones by Kristien Potgieter (South Africa)
A gothic tale of forbidden love set in the 1940s, In the Valley of Bones follows trainee nurse Mina Kruger, who is exiled to a small, isolated town in the South African countryside after her romance with Becky, a fellow nursing student, is discovered.
Strange events begin soon after her arrival: small dead animals greet her in her bedroom each morning and the town is being preyed upon by a leopard from the mountains. Mina slowly discovers the horrific truth about her employer, Dr Nieuwoudt, and his elderly, dying mother – and the dark fate they intend for Mina. Told in letters to Becky, Mina’s growing fear and dawning awareness of a terrible new purpose are revealed.
Kristien Potgieter is an author and editor from Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a PhD in creative writing from Bath Spa University and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was the 2015–2016 Booker Scholar. Her children’s books Bongi Ballerina and Bongi Ballerina takes a bow are published in South Africa by LAPA Publishers, and her short fiction and academic writing have been published online and in print in various places. She has more than a decade’s experience as a professional editor for publishing companies and academic institutions.