Opinion

Cameroonian Book Publishing as ‘Defiant Scholarship’

Cameroonian Book Publishing as ‘Defiant Scholarship’

#Opinion

Stephanie Kitchen presented on ‘Book Publishing and Publishing Collectives in Africa’ at a British Academy Writing Workshop on ‘Defiant Scholarship in Africa’.
Centring Africana Voices in Contemporary Publishing

Centring Africana Voices in Contemporary Publishing

#Opinion

An opinion piece by Jude Fokwang, presented at the Workshop on Defiant Scholarship in Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 18 – 20 June 2024.
ABC's Statement on Gaza

ABC's Statement on Gaza

#Opinion

African Books Collective's Statement on Gaza
A good reading culture: Potential game changer in Africa

A good reading culture: Potential game changer in Africa

#Opinion

I made a deal with my eight-year-old son that for every book above 110 pages that he reads, I’ll pay him 15 rands, an equivalent of one United States Dollar (US$1).
Marginalisation and Exclusion of Women in Scholarly Publishing and Dissemination in Africa

Marginalisation and Exclusion of Women in Scholarly Publishing and Dissemination in Africa

#Opinion

I came across a discussion on Twitter a while back about how notable women, especially those in academia, were either missing from Wikipedia or had their entries written incorrectly or with insufficient information.
Editora Trinta Zero Nove: literature in translation in Mozambique

Editora Trinta Zero Nove: literature in translation in Mozambique

#Opinion

In Mozambique, women are underrepresented in print and male publishers tend to be biased toward publishing men, claiming that female voices lack quality, substance, and creativity. I try to counteract this by publishing feminist voices that might inspire a new generation of female writers and translators through creative writing and through translation workshops
Kyoto University Collaboration with Langaa

Kyoto University Collaboration with Langaa

#Opinion

The African Potentials Series is a co-publication initiative between Langaa and the Center for African Area Studies (CAAS) at Kyoto University. The series showcases the research of the African Potentials network of African and Japanese scholars
The myth of the ‘book famine’ in African publishing

The myth of the ‘book famine’ in African publishing

#Opinion

Books and publishing in Africa are often described in terms of ‘scarcity’ and ‘famine’, evoking the need for a crisis response. But do these terms reflect the reality of how Africans produce and engage with books? Elizabeth le Roux argues that the famine analogy is perpetuated by a book aid industry that works counter to structural solutions based on local book development.
A (very) brief history of African publishing, from independence to the present

A (very) brief history of African publishing, from independence to the present

#Opinion

It may come as a surprise to some, but Africa has been producing the written word for thousands of years – from the indigenous scripts of Ancient Africa to the experimental digital press projects at the turn of this century. This blog, based on a longer article, attempts to give a very brief history of African publishing from the years following independence from European powers to today, showing that the written word – against many odds – continues to flow onto the latest reading formats.
Co-publishing with Africa North–South–North

Co-publishing with Africa North–South–North

#Opinion

The decolonization of African studies extends beyond content to ethical partnerships between the North and the African continent. One key component of realizing partnership is through publishing. In partnership with the International African Institute, and with the active support of the African Studies Associations of the UK and the US, work is proceeding with publishers in the North and the South to broker co-publishing or co-editions to address this historic marginalization of Africa.
African publishing in the time of COVID-19

African publishing in the time of COVID-19

#Opinion

COVID-19’s spread around the world continues to have catastrophic effects, from lives lost to the economic consequences of lockdowns, bringing financial devastation to individuals and jeopardising even the most robust industries.
Publishing in Africa: From independence to the present day

Publishing in Africa: From independence to the present day

#Opinion

Indigenous publishing is integral to national identity and development: cultural, social, and economic. Such publishing reflects a people’s history and experience, belief systems, and their concomitant expressions through language, writing, and art.
30 Years of providing visibility for African books in the global market place

30 Years of providing visibility for African books in the global market place

#Opinion

African Books Collective is an example of an African owned and governed organisation which has successfully transitioned from a donor dependent NGO to a self-sustaining and independent social enterprise.
In the Maghreb, there is an urgent need to structure the book sector

In the Maghreb, there is an urgent need to structure the book sector

#Opinion

Kenza Sefrioui is a literary critic, the co-founder of En toutes lettres, a publishing house based in Casablanca. On the occasion of the 25thedition of the Maghreb book fair in Paris, literary critic Kenza Sefrioui highlights the publishing situation in the north of the continent. 
Print-on-demand: An African publisher’s experience

Print-on-demand: An African publisher’s experience

#Opinion

In the early 2000s the late Nigerian publisher, Victor Nwankwo, of Fourth Dimension Publishers (FDP), with African Books Collective (ABC), started a project to digitise FDP's backlist and make the books available print on demand (POD). Reading his study today, some 18 years on, it is easy to forget the huge changes that have taken place in the publishing and bookselling world such as online bookselling, digital marketing, ebooks and eLibrary resources.
Drinking from the cosmic gourd. How Amos Tutuola can change our minds

Drinking from the cosmic gourd. How Amos Tutuola can change our minds

#Opinion

Francis B. Nyamnjoh on 28 March 2017 delivered the Archie Mafeje lecture for University of South Africa (UNISA) entitled Drinking from the Cosmic Gourd: How Amos Tutuola Can Change Our Minds. The lecture is based on his book of the same name. 
Teaching is never easy… but for so many different reasons

Teaching is never easy… but for so many different reasons

#Opinion

Jason Anderson is a teacher, educator, researcher and author of books for language teachers. Here he recounts his experience of publishing locally and using local expertise in the development of his book Teaching English in Africa.
Publishing in African languages

Publishing in African languages

#Opinion

This literature review is an attempt to bring together some of the literature on an important and challenging, and one could well say neglected aspect of the African book sector, that of publishing in African languages, an area that greatly impacts literary production in many ways.
Publishing in Africa: Where are we now? An update for 2019 (Extracts)

Publishing in Africa: Where are we now? An update for 2019 (Extracts)

#Opinion

This update seeks to provide a broad round-up of the current situation of the book industry in Africa today (primarily that in English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa), together with a brief review of the work and activities of the various organizations and associations that have been supportive of African publishing over the years.
Book donation programmes revisited

Book donation programmes revisited

#Opinion

Book aid is complex, problematic, and sometimes controversial, but the literature and research on book donation programmes for Africa is still surprisingly scant. This wide-ranging, extensively documented investigation attempts to shed more light on current book donation practices, and provides an overview and profiles of the work of the principal book aid organizations active in the English-speaking parts of sub-Saharan Africa

African book industry data and the state of African national bibliographies

African book industry data and the state of African national bibliographies

#Opinion

No less than three international meetings on publishing in Africa have taken place recently, which have been followed with detailed action plans. Among many other recommendations, calls for action to find solutions to perennial problems, as well as discussions focusing on sectorial innovation and revitalization of the African book industries, participants in all three meetings were strongly urged to start collecting and disseminating book industry data.

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