The Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, with the support of the Thomas magazine and the Nikea Publishing House, held the first literary competition for writers from the countries of the African continent.
With the blessing of the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Constantine of Cairo and North Africa, the contest was held on the theme "Africa and Orthodoxy." The results were announced this spring.
The competition was attended by authors from Cameroon, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya. The works were accepted in English, French and Swahili.
The winner in the Artistic Works category was Theoktist Romarik Balthazar Jossu (Benin) with the short story "The Light of the Heart". The second place went to Jean Calvin Anoga (Cameroon) with the story "Joseph's Skepticism about faith." Onisim Assongba (Benin) took the third place with the story "The Forgotten Icon".
The winner in the Journalism category was the dean of the Kenyan Church district of Nieri, Priest Basil Waicha (Kenya), with the article "Pillar of Faith: the Life and Legacy of Elder Joseph Gakuo Teuri."
The best stories of the participants will be translated and published in a collection in Russian, English, French and Swahili.
Subsequently, the books will be distributed to African libraries and parishes of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.