Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award

Funding university places for women from Africa

Follow us on Instagram

Who we are

The Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award was set up by Margaret Busby, Myriad Editions and SOAS, University of London to support a new generation of African women writers. Two scholars – Idza Luhumyo and Stella Gichohi (pictured with Margaret Busby above), both (coincidentally) from Kenya – have completed their Master’s degrees at SOAS, University of London. A third scholar will enrol at SOAS in October 2026.

Our story 

In 1992, Margaret changed the literary landscape forever when she published Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent. Twenty-seven years later, as she compiled her follow-up landmark anthology, New Daughters of Africa (2019), she was determined to celebrate its publication with an inspirational legacy that went beyond the book itself. 

New Daughters of Africa celebrates the global writing of more than 200 writers of African descent. Alongside acclaimed names and major prize winners, the anthology includes many others equally deserving of attention, from overlooked historical authors to exciting new and emerging writers.  

All of the 200-plus contributors to New Daughters of Africa donated their fees to Margaret’s idea of a lasting legacy. Their generosity built a bedrock of support and, together with the backing of Myriad and investment of Margaret herself, who donates a proportion of her royalties to the fund, they made it possible to launch the award in 2019 in collaboration with SOAS University of London. 

Our impact 

Scholarships are crucial for removing the financial barriers between talented students and their potential.

In 2020, Idza Luhumyo, a writer from Mombasa, Kenya, became the inaugural recipient of the New Daughters of Africa Award for her MA in Comparative Literature at SOAS. Idza described her studies at SOAS as life-changing. Before graduating she won the 2021 Short Story Day Africa Prize and the following year she won the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, competing among 349 entries from 27 countries. Her award was funded entirely through donations – without which these phenomenal achievements would not have been possible. 

Thanks to the continuing support and generosity of donors, many of whom are writers themselves, a second Margaret Busby scholar – Stella Gichohi – enrolled at SOAS, University of London in October 2023. A third student will start studying for her Master’s degree this year.

We need your support! 

Please help us to maintain this incredible opportunity or African women writers. We want the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award to have a life-changing impact not simply for these three students but for generations of African students to come.

We will be crowdfunding again to ensure the continuation of the award. Our aim is to build on these funds and ensure that the award can be offered not only three times, but every year.