<p>Over the years, there have been calls by many to acknowledge Thiongo's incredible contribution to literature by awarding him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Only five Africans have ever been awarded the prize with the legendary Nigerian writer<strong> Wole Soyinka</strong> having been the first Black African to take home the award back in 1986. After the passing of fellow Nigerian writer<strong> Chinua Achebe</strong> in 2013, there have also been calls for him to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/20/chinua-achebe-nobel-prize-wole-soyinka" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">awarded the prize posthumously</a>.</p><p>Before the announcement, Thiong'o's son took to social media to speak about how he was certain his father would finally be named this year's winner:</p>
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</p><div id="6dca7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2L76241570716566"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1181560284441382914" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I am so confident that my father will win The Nobel Prize in Literature this year that the only question I have is… https://t.co/Wn56hv9B8a</div> — Mukoma Wa Ngugi (@Mukoma Wa Ngugi)<a href="https://twitter.com/MukomaWaNgugi/statuses/1181560284441382914">1570540898.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p>The panel have <a href="https://www.google.co.za/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/live/2019/oct/10/nobel-prize-in-literature-2019-two-laureates-to-be-named-live" target="_blank">explained their decision</a> saying that Tokarczuk was awarded the prize for "a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." Admittedly, the awarding of the prize to Tokarczuk has been a progressive move by the Swedish academy considering that there have only been 14 women to win the prize before her compared to 113 men.<br></p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>With regards to Handke, the panel said that he has been awarded the prize for "an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience."</p>
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