Preparations for 2003 Zimbabwe book fair

There has been a rumour in South Africa that a book fair has been cancelled. This has nothing to do with the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. A South African festival planned for April 2004, Bookeish!, has been postponed (see separate story).

Samuel Matsangaise, executive director of the ZIBF said: "I can confirm that ZIBF is happening. There is NO cancelling this event. If anything the number of paid up exhibitors has now risen to 149. Close to 60 from outside Zimbabwe.

"The number of exhibitors could have be higher if politically and economically the situation was different, I believe. As organisers we suffer the same hardships that all Zimbabweans are going through but we are certainly in control of our preparation and ready to go."

The preparations for the forthcoming Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2003 are progressing very well and have reached advanced stages. To date 134 exhibitors from all over the world have confirmed their participation in the event scheduled to take place from 29 July to 2 August in the Harare Gardens. At least 19 countries will be represented at this year’s event in addition to Zimbabwean and international organisations. The figures are very encouraging as they already prove that this year’s Book Fair will surpass that of last year which recorded only 70 exhibitors.

While ZIBF is still taking late bookings, exhibitors who have confirmed their participation have been drawn from the following countries; Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The international organisations include, the delegation of the European Union which is taking part in the Book Fair for the first time, UNIFEM, FAO, UNDP and Unesco. Four exhibitors are coming from the United Kingdom and five from South Africa, to name but a few. Nigeria is expected to bring the largest number of exhibitors with at least 20 already confirmed out of the expected 28.

The events calendar this year will take a more cultural bias than ever before because of the theme for this year which is ‘Imagination - Literature, Art and Culture’. A revived participation by the women’s organisations is of particular importance as the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre Network will be highly visible at the ZIBF2003 with its own programme designed to put issues that affect women under the spotlight at the Fair. Their programme will range from workshops on enhancing women’s IT capacity, enhancing women’s photographic capacity, talks on various issues including gender and HIV/Aids.

A Buyers and Sellers Meeting, an event which has become a tradition at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in recent years, will take place at a local hotel on 28 July. This meeting seeks to match-make business partners such as publishers and booksellers prior to their arrival in Harare and business deals are finalised at this meeting. The Buyers and Sellers Meetings will once again be facilitated by one of the ZIBF’s key partners, the African Publishers Network (Apnet). The Book Fair’s main curtain raiser, the Indaba will once again be held at a local hotel on 27 and 28 July under the theme of ‘History and Cultures in Africa: The Movement of Ideas, People and Books’. A wide range of speakers will include people such as; Adutey Bing and Nana Wilson-Tagoe both of Ghana, Monique Ilboudo of Burkina Faso, Tshikuku Kabeya from the DRC, Ayo Ojeniyi, Oyunba Lawal-Solarin, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Okufemi Obafemi, all of Nigeria. Other notable names are; Taban lo-Liyong who is based in South Africa, Khary Fall Cissy Senegal, Rebecca Ribeiro-Ayeh Clarke Ghana, Sr A. Botelho Angola and others from Morocco, Lesotho, Germany, The Gambia and Zimbabwe.

The Writer’s Workshop will move from the Mayor’s Garden this year to a local hotel and will address topics like; The Development, Enunciation and Promotion of African Literature: Historical and Cultural Perspectives, The Interface Between knowledge and power: Women Publishing in Africa and Effective Marketing of Published African Works. The workshop will run over three days with speakers drawn from among local writers and visiting authors from Nigeria, Trinadad and Tobago, Ghana, South Africa, Germany, Zambia, the US and the UK.

The Live Literature Centre is promising to be even more vibrant than ever before with a cultural programme bringing together performers and authors. Local poet and performer, Chirikure Chirikure is co-ordinating that programme. Other events on the ZIBF2003 Events Calendar will include the popular Zimbabwe Book Development Council’s Children's Reading Tent. The Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association’s annual Literary Awards and a launch of new products by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair.

All Zimbabweans are invited to support this year’s Zimbabwe International Book Fair by attending some of these events.

The fair takes place from July 27 to August 2 in Harare.
ZIBF2003 - Imagination: Literature, Art and Culture, 29 July - 2 August 2003
Setting up day: 28 July 2003
COUNTRY OF FOCUS: Nigeria

INDABA - History and Cultures in Africa: The Movement of Ideas, People and Books, 27 - 28 July 2003.