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International Bibliodiversity Day, 21 September 2010

From 2010 International Bibliodiversity Day will be celebrated in several Latin American countries on 21 September each year. This day is deeply symbolic, representing Spring Day in the Southern hemisphere, in particular; spring with its connotations of pleasant weather, diversity, contrasting colours, vigour, flowers in bloom, transitions, love, perfume, and new beginnings.

Even though this is an international day, it was important to note that this initiative originated in the South - in Latin America – and that it bears a concrete signicance. Indeed, in defending and promoting bibliodiversity, Latin American publishers reaffirm the necessity of rebalancing the direction in which books and ideas circulate and of achieving movement in other directions, from South to North, but also from South to South.

Watch the EldíaB 2010 videos!

More information on Bibliodiversity Day Blog: http://eldiab.org/

Photo of the Day activities in the parks

Photo_miscellaneous

Photo_“Releasing the books”

The Bibliodiversity Day logo

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L’Afrique au secours de l’Afrique

Author(s) : Sanou MBAYE ; préface d'Aminata TRAORE
Publishing countries : Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, France, Mali, Switzerland
Language(s) : French
Price : 9 € ; 500 DA ; 3 000 FCFA ; 15 CHF

How can Africa emerge from the impasse? Surprisingly, the author shows that Africans themselves have the means of achieving their own development. Since independence the model of development imposed on Africa by the West has been a complete failure. The author analyses the structural causes of this failure which has dragged African populations down into a spiral of poverty and violence. He shows what the West has been responsible for, without shying away from the responsibilities of Africans themselves. His multi-dimensional analysis goes on to suggest a range of innovative solutions which will allow Africans to take in hand their own development. Very persuasively, Sanou Mbaye suggests political, economic and financial reforms, legal action and a resource mobilisation plan which could bring about the true renaissance the regional populations dream of. On its own Africa will deal with its own problems and the author inspires us with hope for the future of the continent. Profoundly Pan-Africanist, he is convinced that the solidarity of the African peoples would constitute fertile ground for this radical change, which would enable them to reappropriate their identity ruined by centuries of domination and to achieve fulfilment.

Sanou MBAYE, former senior official of the African Development Bank, is a political and economic commentator. His writings on the development of African countries put forward political alternatives to what has been established in Africa by the West and its instruments: the IMF and the World Bank.

Year of publication: 2010, 222 pages, 11 X 18 cm

First large print edition: l’Atelier Publishing, 2009

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Petit précis de remise à niveau sur l’histoire africaine à l’usage du Président Sarkozy

Author(s) : Sous la direction d'Adame BA KONARÉ
Publishing countries : Algeria, Mali, Senegal
Language(s) : French
Price : 6 500 FCFA ; 800 DA

After the Africans’ first heated and indignant reactions to Nicolas Sarkozy’s speech in Dakar on July 26, 2007, his declarations on the African continent’s inaction or the absence of French responsibility in its current problems deserved a well-argued response, uncluttered with any emotional diversion. In the aim of enlightening President Sarkozy, yet also his entourage and, broadly speaking, the general public, about the reality of African history, Adame Ba Konaré launched in September 2007 a noticed call to the historians’ community. This book is the product of this mobilization: 25 contributions by world-famous experts or younger researchers, both African and European, who each tackle with rigor and precision one aspect of the continent’s rich, complex and little-known history.

Year of publication of the pan-African version: 2009, 350 pages, 15,5 X 24 cm

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Third meeting of the Latin-American independent publishers’ collectives, La Paz, August, 2010

Publishing countries : Bolivia

The 3rd meeting of Latin-American independent publishers’ collectives of the Alliance will occur with the support of the Departmental Book Chamber of La Paz and the French cultural services for the Andean cooperation during the 15th La Paz International Book Fair (Bolivia) – which will take place from August 18 to 29, 2010, under the slogan “Celebrate Bibliodiversity”.

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Preferential postage rates for books: urgent for Latin America, August 2010

Massively used by small publishing firms to distribute their products to bookstores, libraries, and readers, the postal service is the most popular means of circulating books throughout the world. However, the absence, suppression or questioning of special postage for books is an impediment to bibliodiversity in many countries.
In Latin America, with a huge territory to cover and limited circulation, a large share of publishers ensures the delivery of their products themselves. For these publishers, preferential postage rates for shipping books are all the more vital.

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The World According to Monsanto

Author(s) : Marie-Monique ROBIN ; Translated by George HOLOCH
Publishing countries : Australia, United States, India
Language(s) : English
Price : £16.99

The result of a remarkable three-year-long investigation that took award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin across four continents (North and South America, Europe, and Asia), The World According to Monsanto tells the little-known yet shocking story of this agribusiness giant—the world’s leading producer of GMOs (genetically modified organisms)—and how its new “green” face is no less malign than its PCB- and Agent Orange–soaked past.

Robin reports that, following its long history of manufacturing hazardous chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto is now marketing itself as a “life sciences” company, seemingly convinced about the virtues of sustainable development. However, Monsanto now controls the majority of the yield of the world’s genetically modified corn and soy—ingredients found in more than 95 percent of American households—and its alarming legal and political tactics to maintain this monopoly are the subject of worldwide concern.

Released to great acclaim and controversy in France, throughout Europe, and in Latin America alongside the documentary film of the same name, The World According to Monsanto is sure to change the way we think about food safety and the corporate control of our food supply.

Marie-Monique Robin is an award-winning French journalist and filmmaker. She received the 1995 Albert-Londres Prize, awarded to investigative journalists in France. She is the director and producer of over thirty documentaries and investigative reports filmed in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. She lives outside of Paris. George Holoch has translated more than twenty books, including Notes on the Occupation (The New Press). He lives in Hinesburg, Vermont.

Year of publication: 2010 ; 384 pages

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Conclusions of the Arabic-language network (Tunis, April 2010)

Publishing countries : Tunisia

Back from Tunis, where the Arabic-language network meeting was held, the Alliance publishes the first outcomes of this meeting. Here you will find the network’s translation and joint co-publishing projects, the next steps towards the development of the Arabic-language network, the creation of specialised training, etc.

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Haiti, let’s mobilise for the long haul, February 2010

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers calls on all international solidarity organisations to mobilise in Haiti. The Alliance will do do its outmost to support Haitian book professionals in the long-term, particularly librarians, publishers and booksellers, by joining forces with existing and future stakeholders in Haiti.

The importance of culture should be considered in the reconstruction process. In the Haïtian context, where symbolism has a special place, reinventing Haïti also involves supporting the arts and culture, particularly books and authors that promote the people’s complex and fascinating identity. A people cut off from its culture is a dead people.

Rodney Saint-Éloi, author and publisher member of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers

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Meeting of the Arabic-language network, Tunis, April 25 - 28, 2010

Publishing countries : Tunisia

Four years after the International Assembly on Independent Publishing in Paris in July 2007, we are delighted to be bringing together the Arabic-language network of the Alliance in Tunisia, during the Tunis International Book Fair.

The Alliance organizes a round table open to professionals, focussing on publishing and cultural diversity, at the heart of the Tunis International Book Fair on Monday 26 April at 4.00 pm.

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Afrilivres: restructuration

The Afrilivres Association elected – during its Extraordinary Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 16 March 2010 via an online forum – a new Committee. For the Alliance, the results of this AGM constitute the beginning of a restructuration of the Pan-African Association. The communiqué issued jointly by the two associations calls on institutions and all friends of Afrilivres to express their renewed confidence.

For more information: www.afrilivres.net

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Bibliodiversity Observatory

Laws, public policies, institutions and support systems for books and reading in Latin America: an unpublished study (September 2019)!

Analysis of data collected in 10 countries from independent publishers and public actors, by Andrés E. Fernández Vergara (University of Chile)

This article, written in Spanish, offers a regional analysis of public policies for the development of books and reading in Spanish-speaking Latin America, from the point of view of 53 actors in the book world from 10 different countries. It takes into account the similarities and differences that exist from one country to another in the region: on the one hand, there are complex networks of institutions and book promotion mechanisms; on the other hand, there is no national policy or strategic objective. The actors interviewed highlight the difficulties they encounter in their sector today: market concentration, piracy, lack of support for indigenous languages, etc. These are all dangers that threaten bibliodiversity in the region.

Contents:

  • Methodology
  • Censorship and content control
  • Laws, public policies and regulatory mechanisms for books and reading
  • Institutions and organisations working in the fields of books and reading
  • Direct support and assistance for books and reading
  • Copyright Legislation
  • Organisation of the profession
  • Conclusion

This analysis is to be found in a special issue of the Bibliodiversity Journal on “Public book policies” available in paper and digital versions (in French).

See also the analysis on “Public book policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar” by Luc Pinhas, published in September 2019.

To complement these analyses, see the mapping of public policies and in-country support mechanisms here: publicbookpolicies.alliance-editeurs.org

Data collection in the 11 countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar as well as in Latin America, cross-sectional data analyses and online mapping were supported by the Fondation de France and the SDC Switzerland.

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Public book policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, an unpublished study (September 2019)!

Cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 12 countries, by Luc Pinhas, University of Paris 13 Villetaneuse (France)

In a comprehensive cross-sectional study that enriches our knowledge of public book policies in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, Luc Pinhas discusses the similarities and differences that exist between 12 countries in the region. While some very interesting developments for local book production and the local book chain should be acknowledged – cf. the preference given to local actors by the Ivorian law of 2015 – the legislative and regulatory frameworks would certainly benefit from being strengthened to support and strengthen the local book economy.

Contents:

  • Preamble
  • Methodology
  • Introduction
  • Legal framework
  • Taxation and market regulation
  • Professional organisation
  • Administrative organisation
  • Direct support for the book
  • Conclusion

This analysis is to be found in a special issue of the Bibliodiversity Journal on “Public book policies” available in paper and digital versions (in French).
See also the analysis on “Public book policies in Latin America”, published in September 2019.

To complement these analyses, see the mapping of public policies and in-country support mechanisms here: publicbookpolicies.alliance-editeurs.org

Data collection in the 11 countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar as well as in Latin America, cross-sectional data analyses and online mapping were supported by the Fondation de France and the SDC Switzerland.

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The myth of the ‘book famine’ in African publishing, Elizabeth Le Roux, August, 2020

Read the article here.

References:
The myth of the ‘book famine’ in African publishing, Review of African Political Economy
DOI : 10.1080/03056244.2020.1792872
Elizabeth le Roux (2020)

Abstract:
The publishing industry in Africa is usually described in terms of ‘booklessness’, ‘hunger’ or ‘famine’. But does this language of scarcity reflect the realities of book production and consumption? In this paper, the concept of ‘book famine’ is analysed as a central frame of discourse on African books, using a survey of existing documentation. Two ways of responding to book famine – provision and production – are identified, and the shortcomings of book aid (provision) are contrasted with strengthening local publishing industries (production). It is argued that the concept has become a cliché that is no longer relevant and that African publishing, while variable, is responding to local needs.

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“To be a publisher in Marocco”, by Kenza Sefrioui, RELIEF, 2020

“Être éditeur au Maroc : la pensée au triple défi du marché, du droit et des libertés” / “To be a publisher in Marocco”
Kenza Sefrioui (En toutes lettres, Marocco)

In Morocco, it is very difficult to be a publisher, due to the conjunction between the lack of economical development of the sector and a long history of hostility of the authorities toward intellectuals, which destructured the fields of knowledge and culture. En toutes lettres’s experience, a young independent publishing house based in Casablanca and specialized in narrative journalism and humanities, proves the need to take the triple challenge of market, law and freedoms, and to invent new forms of solidarity between publishing, press, research and civil society, in order to rebuild a pole of production of critical thinking.

Read here the article (in French).

RELIEF – Revue électronique de littérature française 14 (1), 2020, p. 32-48
DOI : doi.org/10.18352/relief.1065
ISSN : 1873-5045 – URL : www.revue-relief.org

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What to say, and where to say it? Open Letter from Independent Publishers to authors and intellectuals committed to a fairer world

Now that we have entered the 21st century, it is difficult to dissociate the end from the means: what to say, and where to say it? Thus, we find that many authors seeking to promote debate, creativity and critical thinking, justice and equality are published by large conglomerates with multiple editorial labels. Isn’t the transformative power of these works reduced to nothing when they plunge into the workings of the entertainment industry? It is a fact that transnational corporations, whatever their field of action, are the very expression of the system that dominates us. By choosing them as publishers, do we not somehow leave the world of transformative ideas in the hands of those who lay the foundations of the model we criticise? Doesn’t that strengthen the control of big capital over the word and our daily lives? Moreover, how can we not question the cross-industry investment of the business groups that own publishing houses? And, are these investments neutral?”

In this open letter, independent publishers invite all the actors of the book industry to reflect with them on their practices and the impacts that result from them. In particular, they call on authors, academics and intellectuals to work on projects whose vocation is to transform the order of things and not to consolidate the status quo, to publish their works in independent publishing houses in their own countries, and to give preference to independent publishing houses when it comes to transferring foreign and translation rights.

As the world suffers the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic, book ecosystems and independent publishing houses are further weakened and, for some, are trying to survive. If solidarity between creators and book professionals is one of the foundations of bibliodiversity, this solidarity is vital in the current context.

Read the letter here.
This letter is also available in Spanish, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

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“’It’s a real battle’: African authors fight for publishing independence”, The Guardian, May 2020

“Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home. But there is a growing push for change...

When Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high “you would have to ask someone to stop eating for two days in order to buy the book”. It was around 16,000 CFA francs (£20); the average monthly salary in Douala is £150. The book, Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit (Those Who Go Out at Night) was published by Grasset, a French imprint. [...]”

Read here the article by Olivia Snaije, published in The Guardian, 14 May 2020.

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Mapping public book policies in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar

An unprecedented mapping of policies supporting reading and books in 22 countries, which can be consulted and downloaded online: publicbookpolicies.alliance-editeurs.org

Arising from the observation of the lack of data on public book policies in regions where the member publishers of the Alliance operate, particularly in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, the public book policy mapping project is the result of several years of collaboration between book and publishing professionals, academics and experts on public book policies. It relies first and foremost on the investment and involvement of the Alliance’s member publishers, who are its primary actors. It is one of the flagship projects of the Bibliodiversity Observatory.

The mapping proposes several items: one entry per country (country fact sheets listing existing mechanisms for public support for books at the national level); a regional entry (comparative data through cross-cutting analyses). It is interactive and evolving: the fact sheets presenting the institutions and national public book policies can be amended and modified as the systems evolve. This mapping is thus intended to be extended to new countries in both regions, or even to integrate a new region in the long term (the Arab world in particular). For now, the mapping exists only in Spanish and French for lack of financial means to carry out a translation into English. The Alliance hopes to find the necessary funds to translate the mapping into English soon.

The objectives of the mapping are to:
• make available data on the public book policies of the respective countries;
• offer an overview of public book policies, freely accessible, consultable and reusable by professionals and public authorities;
• promote dialogue and exchanges between public authorities and publishers;
• develop advocacy tools for independent publishers;
• contribute to the establishment and consolidation of public book policies in developing countries (among others, for a greater circulation of books and ideas, for the appropriation of digital tools by book professionals, for balanced exchanges between North and South);
• affirm the role of civil society (book professionals and particularly independent publishers) in the development and implementation of public book policies.

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The Alliance warmly thanks the partners of this project: the Fondation de France and the Swiss SDC.

See the complementary issue of the Bibliodiversity journal “Public book policies”.

Press release

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Alliance team at: equipe@alliance-editeurs.org

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Publishing & the Book in Africa: A Literature Review for 2019, by Hans M. Zell

Publishing & the Book in Africa: A Literature Review for 2019
The fifth in a series of annual reviews of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and the book sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Extensively and critically annotated and/or with abstracts, the present list brings together new literature published during the course of 2019, a total of 156 records.

Read the pre-print version here.

The final print/online version to be published in The African Book Publishing Record, vol. 45, issue 2 (May 2020).

Reprinted with permission of the author.
Copyright © Hans Zell Publishing Consultants 2019

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Indigenous publishing in sub-Saharan Africa: A chronology and some landmarks, October 2019, by Hans M. Zell

This chronological timeline sets out some of the key dates, events, and landmarks in the history and development of indigenous publishing in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also includes details of the major conferences, meetings or seminars on African publishing, held in Africa or at venues elsewhere, since 1968. An earlier version of this chronology first appeared in The African Publishing Companion: A Resource Guide, and has now been updated through to the period up to 2019, and considerably expanded to also include publication of a number of benchmark studies, conference proceedings, journals, and reference resources on the African book world.

Read here the pre-print version on Academia.edu, 21 October 2019.

Final version, to be published in African Research & Documentation. Journal of SCOLMA (The UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa), no. 136 (2019)

Reprinted with permission of the author.
Copyright © Hans Zell Publishing Consultants 2019

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