Nigerian author, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe – Onoubia is definitely having a great year. Her debut work, ‘The son of the House’ was published earlier this year to positive reviews.
More recently, Cheluchi’s ‘The son of the House’ clinched the ‘Best International Fiction Book Award’ at the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair in Dubai, UAE . She was also honoured by the Ruler of Sharjah, Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, at the opening ceremony of the book.
The award-winning novel talks about the struggles of womanhood and parenting admist sexual abuse and societal pressure in marriage.
Describing the award as unexpected, the writer told Channels TV that she hoped women, especially young Nigerian writers would be motivated by her achievements. She advised women never to give up on their dreams after recording rejections in their writing journey.
“I was surprised to find out that I was the only female. I want to see women winning awards and getting recognized.
“I have faced quite a bit of rejection in the course of my journey, so it is extremely thrilling for me to be standing here with the award despite the challenges I faced while trying to get this book published,” she said.
The Sharjah International Book Fair Award is an annual award that recognizes outstanding accomplishments in both regional and international publishing industry.
Onyemelukwe, who is a leading expert in Health Law in Nigeria and Associate Professor at Babcock University School of Law, also holds a First-class degree in Law from the University of Nigeria and a doctorate degree in Law from Dalhousie University, Canada.
Congratulations to Cheluchi, more wins.
