Nigerian author Abi Dale has been awarded the inaugural Climate Fiction Award for her novel, which is a follow-up to her successful debut, *The Girl with the Louding Voice*.
The £10,000 prize was presented to her at a ceremony in London on Wednesday evening.
“I’m still a bit nervous, but really honored and excited,” she shared. “As a Black Nigerian woman in the UK, winning this award is a clear message that you don’t have to wait for others’ approval to join the global conversation.
Her novel, published in 2020, narrates the story of Adunni, a 14-year-old Nigerian girl who faces forced marriage and is later sold into domestic servitude.
There was a moment of relief when Adunni got a chance to attend school in Lagos, but soon she was called back to her village, Ikati. Dale noted that she hadn’t set out to write explicitly about climate issues. “I wanted to delve into the lives of rural women and girls facing inequality and the struggle for survival. Yet, as I wrote, environmental disruption became intertwined with their realities, and in many rural parts of Africa, the impact of climate injustice is profoundly felt, even if it’s not always understood,” she explained.
According to Madeleine Bunting, who chairs the review panel, the book is “an energetic and passionate read, both alarming and engaging,” illustrating how the climate crisis can lead to widespread social challenges, especially for women and children.
“Despite the sorrows portrayed, Dale emphasizes hope in the resilience of individuals and communities, which ultimately inspires us,” she added.
The climate fiction genre typically focuses on narratives from the Global North, so this acknowledgment of stories rooted in Africa is significant. “Africa contributes just 4% to the global carbon emissions, yet faces some of the harshest effects of the climate crisis. Awards like this are crucial; they provide a platform for narratives that reveal our interconnectedness and demonstrate how fiction can engage emotions in ways data often cannot,” she remarked.
Dale, based in Essex, was born in Lagos and studied law at Wolverhampton University, subsequently earning a Master’s in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University and taking a creative writing course at Birkbeck, University of London. In 2023, she established the Louding Voice Foundation, aimed at offering educational scholarships to women and girls in Nigeria.
“I truly hope this moment inspires more writers, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds, to investigate the connections among environment, identity, and justice,” Dale expressed.
Among the other contenders for the award was *The Ministry of Era* by Kalian Bradley, alongside works by Ros Dinneen, Thea Oblett, and Samantha Harvey, last year’s Booker Prize winner.
The review committee also included author Nicola Chester, climate activist and author Tori Tsui, broadcast author David Lind, known as “The Urban Birder,” and Andy Flyers, director of sustainability at Hay Festival.
