Gurnah’s Nobel Legacy Meets Africa’s Power Elite as Forbes Names 15 Icons

By Chibuzor Alli

The Zanzibar-born novelist joins Africa’s most influential business leaders, political figures, athletes and entertainers in Forbes Africa’s 15th-anniversary selection, with the list revealing the enduring power of books to document leadership, identity and personal history.

Abdulrazak Gurnah’s journey from displacement in Zanzibar to the highest honour in literature has earned him a place among 15 influential personalities selected by Forbes Africa to mark the magazine’s 15th anniversary. But beyond the recognition of a Nobel laureate, the inaugural Icons list reveals another striking feature: eight of its 15 honourees have published books under their own names.

The selection, published in the magazine’s October–November 2026 anniversary edition, brings together figures whose influence spans business, politics, music, film, sport and literature. It includes industrialist Aliko Dangote, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, media entrepreneur Mo Abudu, musician Burna Boy, former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and South African comedian Trevor Noah.

Gurnah stands apart as the list’s only novelist identified primarily through literary achievement. His inclusion places African fiction alongside the commercial, political and cultural influence represented by the other honourees, underscoring the reach of storytelling beyond the publishing industry. Source: Forbes Africa’s official Icons feature.

From Zanzibar to the Nobel Prize

Born in Zanzibar in 1948, Gurnah left his homeland for Britain in the late 1960s as a young refugee. His departure followed political upheaval and violence in the aftermath of Zanzibar’s 1964 revolution, during which people of Arab origin faced persecution.

He began writing in English while living in exile, despite Swahili being his first language. The experience of displacement would become a recurring concern in his fiction, alongside colonialism, migration, belonging and the complicated relationships between Africa and the wider world.

In 2021, Gurnah received the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Swedish Academy described as his uncompromising and compassionate examination of colonialism and the fate of refugees caught between cultures and continents.

The award brought international attention to a literary career built over decades rather than overnight success. Before the Nobel announcement, Gurnah had already published novels exploring the lives of people negotiating exile, memory, identity and historical change.

His works include Paradise (1994), By the Sea (2001), Desertion (2005), Gravel Heart (2017) and Afterlives (2020). Paradise was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, while Afterlives explored the lasting effects of German colonial rule in East Africa through the lives of several generations.

Gurnah’s fiction is notable for resisting simplified accounts of African history. Rather than presenting colonialism as an abstract political event, his novels examine its effects on ordinary people, their relationships, ambitions and choices.

The Nobel recognition therefore acknowledged not only his literary craft but also the historical perspectives his writing brings into international conversation.

Sources: Nobel Prize biography and University of Kent profile.

Eight authors in a list dominated by other professions

Although business and entertainment feature prominently in the Forbes selection, a closer examination of the honourees identifies eight published authors. Their books range from literary fiction and political analysis to memoirs, children’s literature and leadership advice.

The group includes:

• Abdulrazak Gurnah: The Nobel laureate’s novels include Paradise and Afterlives, which explore colonial history, displacement and the complexities of belonging.
• Trevor Noah: The South African comedian and former host of The Daily Show wrote Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, a memoir examining his upbringing during apartheid and its aftermath.
• Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: The WTO chief has written Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria and Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines, drawing on her experience in economic policy and public service.
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Liberia’s former president documented her life and political journey in This Child Will Be Great, a memoir that examines leadership and the challenges of governing a country emerging from conflict.
• Lupita Nyong’o: The Kenyan-Mexican actor wrote Sulwe, a children’s picture book addressing colourism, self-esteem and the importance of embracing one’s identity.
• Angélique Kidjo: The Beninese music star recounted her personal and artistic journey in Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music, connecting her career with her experiences of culture, identity and international performance.
• Didier Drogba: The former Côte d’Ivoire international footballer chronicled his life and career in Commitment: My Autobiography.
• Adrian Gore: The founder and chief executive of Discovery Group authored The Four Principles: Multiply Your Impact in Life and Leadership, a book examining principles of personal effectiveness and leadership. Pan Macmillan South Africa lists its publication date as 30 July 2026.

Together, these works demonstrate the different purposes a book can serve in public life. For Gurnah, fiction interrogates history and human experience. For Okonjo-Iweala, writing provides a platform for policy analysis. For Sirleaf and Noah, memoir offers a personal account of events that shaped their lives. For Nyong’o, storytelling reaches younger readers, while Gore’s book translates business experience into a leadership framework.

The distinction matters: being a published author does not necessarily mean that writing is a person’s primary profession. Forbes identifies Gurnah as a novelist and Nobel laureate, while other honourees are recognised chiefly for their achievements in business, government, sport or entertainment.

The eight-author count is based on their published book titles, not on whether Forbes classifies each person as a writer.

Business, politics and entertainment share the same stage

The 15 honourees represent a broad cross-section of African influence.

The business contingent includes Gore, Patrice Motsepe, Strive Masiyiwa, Dangote and Johann Rupert. Their interests span financial services, telecommunications, technology, industrial production and luxury goods.

The media and entertainment figures include Abudu, Burna Boy, Nyong’o, Noah and Kidjo, whose work has reached audiences across national borders and, in several cases, across continents.

Okonjo-Iweala and Sirleaf represent public leadership and international governance, while Ethiopian distance-running champion Haile Gebrselassie and former Ivorian football star Drogba bring sporting achievement into the selection.

Gurnah’s presence adds a different kind of influence: the capacity of literature to shape how societies understand their past and how individuals experience displacement, identity and belonging.

The list is presented in no particular order. It is not a ranking of wealth, fame or professional achievement.

Nigeria and South Africa each account for four honourees. The four Nigerians are Abudu, Okonjo-Iweala, Dangote and Burna Boy. South Africa’s representatives are Gore, Motsepe, Masiyiwa and Rupert, with Masiyiwa’s business interests and Zimbabwean identity making clear that the selection’s professional reach does not always align neatly with nationality.

The list also features two Nobel laureates: Gurnah, who won the Literature Prize in 2021, and Sirleaf, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman.

Why Gurnah’s inclusion matters

Gurnah’s selection is significant because literary achievement operates differently from the influence of a corporation, a political office or a global entertainment career.

A business leader’s impact can be measured through investment, employment and economic activity. A political leader’s legacy may be assessed through institutions, policy and public service. Athletes and entertainers reach audiences through performance and popular culture.

Literature works on a different timescale. Its influence may emerge through the preservation of neglected histories, the challenge it poses to familiar narratives and the ability of individual stories to illuminate experiences that statistics cannot fully capture.

Gurnah’s novels examine East Africa’s encounters with colonial power, trade, migration and cultural exchange. His characters often occupy the space between places, histories and identities, reflecting the complicated realities of people whose lives have been shaped by movement and political upheaval.

His Nobel Prize recognised this contribution to world literature. His inclusion in Forbes Africa’s Icons list now places that contribution within a broader conversation about the people shaping Africa’s cultural and intellectual standing.

It also offers a reminder that African influence is not limited to economic power or public visibility. Ideas and stories can travel across borders, challenge established interpretations of history and remain relevant long after the events that inspired them.

A book as part of a public legacy

The eight authors on the list also reveal how published books can extend a public figure’s influence beyond their principal occupation.

A memoir can preserve a political leader’s account of a defining period. A policy book can explain the thinking behind difficult decisions. A children’s story can shape conversations about identity, while a leadership guide can package professional experience for a wider audience.

Fiction serves another purpose. Gurnah’s novels do not simply record events; they explore how people live with the consequences of history. His work gives human dimension to colonialism, exile and cultural encounters, subjects that can otherwise be reduced to broad historical descriptions.

The shared presence of these different kinds of authors does not establish that publishing a book is a requirement for lasting influence. Rather, it shows that writing has become one way some influential people explain their experiences, communicate their ideas and contribute to debates beyond their immediate fields.

Forbes Africa says its Icons selection considers factors including individual capabilities, global recognition, legacy and measurable economic, social or cultural influence. The magazine describes the honourees as people whose ideas, innovations and voices have helped shape Africa’s past, present and future.

Within that framework, Gurnah’s recognition places the work of an African novelist alongside achievements in business, public leadership, sport and entertainment.

The broader story is not simply that eight of the 15 icons have written books. It is that their books preserve different forms of experience — from the intimate realities of migration to the decisions that shape national economies and the lessons drawn from careers played out before global audiences.

For Gurnah, that contribution began long before the Nobel Prize. The Forbes Africa recognition offers another platform for it, reaffirming the place of literature in the continent’s wider story of influence and legacy.

Sources and fact-checking references

1. Forbes Africa — The Icons, 2026: Official list and anniversary framing.
2. Nobel Prize — Abdulrazak Gurnah’s biography: Background on his early life, exile and literary themes.
3. Nobel Prize — 2021 Literature Prize announcement: Official award citation.
4. University of Kent — Abdulrazak Gurnah: Academic biography and bibliography.
5. Pan Macmillan South Africa — The Four Principles: Publication details for Adrian Gore’s book.