This, he said in a statement issued yesterday that' is the outcome of an invitation the Pan African Writers' Association (PAWA) received from the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs in April, 2005, to nominate candidates for the award of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children's literature.

The award is the most prestigious prize instituted for children's literature in the world. PAWA's contribution was to nominate African writers who along with writers of different literatures from other parts of the world would be considered to receive the award. The

PAWA constituted a 12-member panel of judges to select from among African writers and illustrators of different literatures those to be considered for the award. The panel of judges was made up of writers from South Africa, Egypt, Gabon and Senegal. The others were from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Ghana.

The panel of judges met at the PAWA Secretariat in Accra from 5th to 10th April, 2005.

The panel which considered entries that had been received from all over Africa for a consideration for the award, was quite impressed with the entries that it received, given the short notice that was available. It was also impressed with the quality of several of the entries. However, using the criteria that it had established, the panel selected Meshack Asare of Ghana and Helmy El-Touni of Egypt as the most compelling achievement among the various entries.

Meshack Asare of Ghana, a distinguished writer-illustrator of books for children, according to the jury, offers sensitively created and lyrically illustrated children's books in an idiom reflecting the wealth of diverse African cultures, helping the child to explore and create daring new worlds, where the imagination can fly and dream more freely and with confidence. Asare's work is inspired by a deep respect for the child as an individual with a unique identity.

Helmy Abdel-Hamid El-Touni of Egypt, in the estimation of the jury, is an illustrator with a diversity of artistic styles and techniques, inducting children into a world of vivid images and vibrant colours. El-Touni's work draws its inspiration, design and technique, mainly from the following four traditions - Pharaohic Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Arabo-Islamic civilizations. A measure of his greatness as a creative artist, is that he successfully integrates all these varying traditions in his unique folklore style.

The panel also noted the high quality of the work of the Ethiopian children's writer, Mr. Michael Daniel Ambatchew.

The panel hoped that this first experience of hosting entries from Africa towards the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs would lead to greater interest in Africa in the award in future. Specifically, the panel expressed the hope that publishers all over Africa would take note of the significance of the award by sending work by African writers to the PAWA Secretariat for consideration in respect of the next award.

The panel also expressed concern at the low level of reading and publishing culture in Africa. It hoped that the award would be used to stimulate more interest in publishing and reading of children's literature in Africa.

It is expected that the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs will announce by September the official list of nominations which would be deliberated upon by the world jury for their decisions.

The winner of the award, which carries a prize money of five million Swedish crowns, approximately US$655,000, will be announced in March, 2006.