The Brunel International African Poetry Prize will be rechristened after its founder and administrator, the President of the Royal Society of Literature, Bernadine Evaristo, decided to step down.

Few weeks before Bernadine Evaristo was announced as the 19^th President of the Royal Society of Literature, the Booker Prize winner made a post on her Facebook wall, on the 23^rd of October last year, publicizing her decision to wrap up the Prize.

According to the author, the Prize was started in 2012 to: promote, develop and celebrate African Poetry because so little of it was out there. ‘Today,’ she continued, ‘African poets have infused the global poetry landscape with their words and books.’

In the same vein, she invited talented poets who are at the beginning of their careers, to participate in the last lap of the Brunel International African Poetry Prize.

The Baptism: Bernadine Evaristo, Kwame Dawes, the African Poetry Book Fund

Ten days to the just celebrated Christmas, the Booker Prize winner made it known that following her decision to end the BIAPP, the African Poetry Book Fund (under the bishopric of Dr. Kwame Dawes, declared intentions to man the administration of the Prize; renaming it after the founder and legend, Bernadine Evaristo.

The Brunei International African Poetry Prize, now the Evaristo African Poetry Prize, will kick off operations after the winner of the last Brunei is announced in May, 2022.

[Bishop] Kwame Dawes, poet, professor and director of APFB said in an epicscopal address: there are a handful of gifted artists who have managed to model exceptional literary citizenship in their leadership, influence, and advocacy for greater openness in the arts, and Bernadine Evaristo represents the best of such individuals. Having this prize named after her honors her, but more than that, it honors the prize.

Bernadine Evaristo is the first writer of color and second woman to serve as President of the Royal Society of Literature. She is also the first woman of color to win the Booker Prize for her novel, Girl, Woman, Other. Her first non-fiction book, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, was published in 2021 by Penguin UK.