By Rita Okoye
Nigerian storyteller Rachel Ajisafe has emerged as the winner of the inaugural Witsprouts Storytelling Prize 2025, an initiative of The Witsprouts Project, a cultural organisation committed to reviving and celebrating African performance arts.
Ajisafe clinched the top honour and a ₦500,000 cash prize for her compelling oral performances titled “Haunting Song of Promises” and “The King Who Became Lightning.”
Themed “Rebooting Legends and Memories,” the competition was created to discover and celebrate Nigerian storytellers who can reimagine Africa’s rich oral traditions for modern audiences and digital platforms. The selection process involved two rounds: a public call for video submissions and a final round featuring the top three finalists Debbie Ajom, Keesh Rowland, and Rachel Ajisafe.
Ajisafe’s winning performance was praised by a distinguished panel of judges including writer and filmmaker Jude Idada and playwright Akanbi Taofeek, who described her as “a natural storyteller with a poetic flair.”
They commended her for going beyond recitation, noting that her expressive delivery and passion, especially her portrayal of Sango’s cultural heritage, brought a captivating vitality to her storytelling.
Director of The Witsprouts Project Tope Akintayo lauded Ajisafe’s victory as a powerful statement about the enduring relevance of oral storytelling. “Rachel Ajisafe’s win is a testament to the timeless power of African storytelling in today’s digital world. She represents the bridge between ancestral wisdom and the creativity of the new generation,” he stated.
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