2026 - Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin
Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin (b. 1963) is one of the most famous Sudanese writers of our time.
He was born in Kassala and lived in Khashm el-Girba until he was forced into exile in 2011 by the previous military regime in Khartoum. Although most of his significant works were banned in Sudan, his books were traded and circulated online amongst Sudanese readers of all generations. He lived in exile in Austria for some time and now resides in Paris.
Sakin has worked as a child rights consultant for Save the Children Sweden and the UNICEF in Darfur. He was also director of development schemes under the World Bank's Community Development Fund in Blue Nile, Sudan.
Between 2021 and 2023, the French translation of his book The Messiah of Darfur was taught across all colleges of education in France, including Sorbonne University. He was awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters(Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et Lettres) in 2023. Other English translations include The Jungo – Stakes of the Earth, the short story The Butcher’s Daughter (in The Book of Karthoum, anthology of short stories, Comma Press, 2016), and Samahani (2024, trans. Mayada Ibrahim and Adil Babikir, London, Foundry Editions).
During his residency in Brussels, he will be working on the manuscript for a new novel, The Other Lives of Zakaria, about the strange life of a black Iraqi refugee who does not know to which country, language or people he belongs. Zakaria dies many times, in different places and times, and has many names, religions, and fathers.