Pascal Boroto Wins 5th Voix d'Afriques Prize for Debut Novel

Pascal Boroto, a 25-year-old economist and journalist from the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has won the fifth Voix d'Afriques literary prize, awarded by RFI and Éditions J.-C. Lattès. His debut novel, 'Le nom de ma mère,' tells the story of his mother, Solange Lusiku, a respected journalist who founded an independent newspaper in Bukavu and was often threatened for her work. After her death during his high school years, Boroto later joined the newspaper's team and eventually moved to Goma, a city scarred by war. He also worked as a data collector for Fonarev in displacement camps and founded 'Les Voix des Oubliés' to amplify the stories of the forgotten. The prize was announced in March 2026 in Kinshasa.