On 21 September, we are celebrating bibliodiversity and also the 20th birthday of the Alliance!
The publishers are offering you a literary world tour in more than 30 countries: 45 readings in 25 languages to listen to and watch here!
A big thank you to all of you for this gift; thanks also to Naima Éditions for making this map.
The Children’s Book HotList highlights children’s books from independent publishers in Africa, Latin America and Europe. It is launched during the 2021 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, on June 14.
Comprising books from 16 countries, 36 publishing houses and 14 categories, this HotList represents the richness and diversity of independent publishing for youth and children’s literature.
You can find a book by searching its country, publisher or literary genre. If you are interested in a book, please do get in touch with its publisher.
The Arabic Language Network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers expresses its strong condemnation of the forced deportation campaign of Palestinians from the “Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood” in East Jerusalem, and the systematic violence and persecution led by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu against Jerusalemites in particular and the Palestinians in general in restoring the “apartheid” policies that the world seeks to overcome.
Read here the entire open letter from the Arabic Language Network of the Alliance.
Author(s) : Khadi HANE
Publishing countries : Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Togo
Language(s) :
French
Price : 50 dirhams marocains ; 750 dinars algériens ; 45 000 francs guinées ; 3 000 FCFA
The latest solidarity co-publishing of the “Terres solidaires” collection is available from the following eight publishing houses: Apic (Algeria), Eburnie (Ivory Coast), Ganndal (Guinea Conakry), Graines de Pensées (Togo), Le Fennec (Morocco), Proximité (Cameroon), Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso) and Tombouctou (Mali)
Retail price of the pan-African version: 50 Moroccan dirhams; 750 Algerian dinars; 45,000 Guinean francs; 3,000 FCFA
First published in France: Éditions Denoël, 2011
Layout for the publishing house collective: Apic (Algeria)
Cover selection and corrections: the publishing house collective
Shared printing in Algeria for Algeria, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Transport of the copies from Algeria to Mali by plane and then dispatch to the different countries by road.
Local prints directly in the countries for Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco and Cameroon.
This solidarity co-publication bears the label Fair Trade Book.
Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
To find out more about the participants, practical information and to follow the Conference online, go to Babelica, the Alliance’s virtual space!
Consult the program below and register now!
To participate in the Conference, click here.
The Conference is organized by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers and the Association of Independent Publishers of Navarre, EDITARGI.
Physical meetings, virtual window, sound archives
The meetings can be followed in streaming (via the virtual space Babelica or the Alliance’s YouTube channel). They will also be recorded and may be the subject of audiovisual editing, depending on the agreement with the participants. The conclusions of the roundtables and workshops will be disseminated afterwards to all participants.
Bibliodiversity ambassadors!
Bibliodiversity ambassadors are public figures who have agreed to amplify the voices of independent publishers, to accompany the reflections and practices of publishers, to defend and support bibliodiversity. The personalities solicited will be revealed in the coming weeks!
Presence of international independent publishers at the Navarra Book Fair (25-28 November, 2021), organized by the Association EDITARGI
A collective stand dedicated to the invited international publishers will present the variety and diversity of independent production internationally. This collective stand will be a meeting place for readers but also a space for sales/ purchases/ trade of copyrights between invited and local professionals.
Calendar 2021 of the Alliance and the Pamplona Meetings
The “Conference”, a snapshot of independent publishing worldwide
Since the creation of the International Alliance of independent publishers (an international network of 750 independent publishers from 55 countries around the world) in 2002, the “International Assemblies/ Conferences” have been held every four to eight years and bring together some 100 independent publishers from around the world: in 2003 in Dakar (Senegal); in 2007 in Paris (France); in 2014 in Cape Town (South Africa) and in 2021 in Pamplona-Iruña (Province of Navarre/ Spain).
They represent a landmark moment for international independent publishers, bringing together actors from all continents – they collectively provide a portrait of global independent publishing (Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Arab world and Oceania). They are a unique space for debate, meetings, and reflection on independent publishing – with no other equivalent worldwide.
Celebrate and REthink in 2021...
Between 2017 and 2018, when the Alliance network was planning and launching the 2019-2021 conference, the goals of this event were obvious: celebrating bibliodiversity and the work of independent publishers, REthinking the solidarity practices that we build through perseverance and determination, but also the relationships with other book professionals, and the relationships with readers.
This is obvious in view of the progress made since the last meeting in 2012-2014, but also in view of the experience of the Alliance, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2021.
2020, a global health crisis, a year of transformation
While the consequences of the health crisis are still difficult to assess in detail from an economic, social, and political vantage point, REthinking remains obvious but also becomes a necessity.
Why are independent publishers important actors in this period of crisis? How do they accompany societal transformations and transitions at work? What are the tools and practices that they put in place to apprehend the realities of tomorrow, to understand them? In what ways do books and the ideas they convey help defend and preserve the diversity of creations, points of view, ideas?
“Tomorrow’s” independent publishing?
This Conference is thus a moment of documentation on the state of the world, an international mapping of the movements of transition and/or interruption.
Its objective is to question and inform discussions on the role of books – of ideas – as a social and emancipatory trajectory.
It is a space for reflection, sharing of experiences and practical know-hows concerning the issues of today and tomorrow: ecology, social economy, inclusive publishing, cultural platforming...
Finally, the Conference is a space of solidarity, trust, human relationships, and dialogues between cultures.
Process and phases of the Conference
The Conference of the Alliance is built of our own accord over a long period of time, against the often-frantic rhythm that has become the norm. It follows a common thread that has been running for 20 years within the Alliance: the issues defended by the Alliance since its creation are always prominent (solidarity, equity of relations, rebalancing of flows, circulation of ideas, local creations and productions, fair speech, ecological concerns...). These are the foundations on which the independent publishing movement is based and are addressed considering contemporary issues and debates.
They are built collectively, based on the work carried out since the 2021-2014 conference and the 80 ensuing recommendations, from feedback from professionals in the field of books, from monitoring independent publishing throughout the world, from regular dialogue with other cultural actors, but also from observation of practices, trends, and alternatives that emerge here and there.
The Conference is built on two levels (public and “internal”), which feed each other and are complementary.
• A public level with an aim to meet, discuss, learn – which is embodied by meetings open to all (book professionals, readers, cultural actors, academics, civil society movements, etc.). It is about taking advantage of the space that the Alliance is to REthink practices, question the relationship of independent publishers to the current world, explore themes, allow each other utopias, look together to the future.
• An internal level (focused on the Alliance network) to formulate recommendations and tools, to elaborate objectives for the upcoming period, to define and refine the governance of the network.
The conference is structured around working groups and thematic workshops set up since the 2012-2014 Conference of the Alliance (1/on public book policies; 2/on the freedom of publishing; 3/ on digital publishing; 4/on publishing in local and national languages; 5/on solidarity-based editorial partnerships; 6/on the impacts of book donation practices).
Concretely, for the Alliance network, the aim is to achieve the following results for the period 2022-2025:
• Recommendations (based on the 80 recommendations from the previous Conference but also in the context of the current crisis)
• Objectives and action plan for the period 2022-2025
• Adjustments and validation/ endorsement of the governance of the association
In 2021, we would like to share with you the highlights and cultural inspirations of the independent publishers who make up the strength of our network: international playlists and selections of music, books and films recommended by the members of the Alliance.
To be discovered every week on our social media (Facebook; Twitter; Youtube and Instagram) and throughout the year on the Alliance website...
Follow us to broaden your musical, literary and cinematographic horizons!
On Youtube, listen to the Alliance’s international playlist for 2021 and see all the recommendations of Alliance members below.
Discover publishers’ backgrounds, get to know their work and their publications, and listen to the voice of independent publishers… by reading the exclusive publishers portraits in this section!
In partnership with the online magazine ActuaLitté, interviews with publishers member of the Alliance are regularly added here. Explore the interviews:
* Élodie Comtois (Écosociété publishers in Québec),
* Samar Haddad (Atlas Publishing in Syria),
* Marie Michèle Razafintsalama (Jeunes malgaches in Madagascar),
* Constanza Brunet (Marea Editorial in Argentina),
* Antoinette Koleva (KX Critique & Humanism in Bulgaria),
* Karine Joseph (Sirocco in Morocco),
* Colleen Higgs (Modjaji Books in South Africa),
* François Nkémé (Proximité in Cameroon),
* Aliou Sow (Ganndal, Guinea Conakry),
* Ritu Menon (Women Unlimited in India).
* Ivana Jinkings (Boitempo in Brazil),
* Sophie Bazin and Johary Ravaloson (Dodo vole in Madagascar),
* Dorota Hartwich (Format in Poland),
* Amanda Crocker (Between the Lines, Canada),
* Dieulermesson Petit Frère (LEGS Édition, Haiti),
* Corinne Fleury (Atelier des nomades, Mauritius),
* Abdulai Sila (Ku Si Mon, Guinea Bissau),
* Susan Hawthorne (Spinifex Press, Australia),
* Dan Bomboko (Elondja, Democratic Republic of Congo).
The International Alliance of independent publishers – representing 750 publishers in 55 countries around the world – calls for the release of Anges Félix N’Dakpri, president of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi)
President of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi) and General commissioner of the Abidjan International Book Fair (SILA), Anges Félix N’Dakpri was kidnapped on October 25 in Abidjan (see press release from several professional associations issued on October 27, 2020).
For some weeks, Côte d’Ivoire has been prey to strong political tensions in the context of the presidential elections.
Several local sources and international medias report arrests and pressure on opposition figures as well as journalists covering the events.
The kidnapping of Anges Félix N’Dakpri by armed men from his home in Abidjan on Sunday, October 25 occurs against a backdrop of violence, threats and restrictions on freedom of expression. According to his relatives, he would be now held at the MACA (Abidjan House of Arrest and Correction).
The International Alliance of independent publishers calls for an end to the arbitrary detention of Anges Félix N’Dakpri and invites professionals from the book industry, medias and human rights associations to relay this call.
Signatories
Members of the International Commitee of Independent Publishers
Publishers members of the French-speaking network of the Alliance
Representatives of the Board and the permanent team of the International Alliance of independent publishers
Part 2: Raphaël Thierry: “Book donations, but at what price, and in exchange for what? An overview on book donation practice in francophone Africa (in French)”
Pre-print version to appear in African Research & Documentation. Journal of SCOLMA (the UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa), no.127 (2015) [Release 2017]
Part 1: Hans M. Zell: “Book Donation Programmes in English-speaking Africa”
Pre-print version to appear in African Research & Documentation. Journal of SCOLMA (the UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa), no.127 (2015) [Release 2017]
Extract from the editorial note of the print issue:
«Welcome to this bumper issue of ARD. Scolma is grateful to Hans Zell and Raphaël Thierry for choosing to publish their full length study of Book Donation Programmes in Africa in our pages.
It is as they say “time for a reappraisal” and it is our hope that the ensuing debate will take place in the pages of ARD as well as online. I would therefore invite responses and feedback to this important and provocative study. Feedback from receiving libraries in Africa is particularly welcome.»
Terry Barringer, Editor, African Research & Documentation
In partnership with the Tunis Book Fair and the Union of Tunisian Publishers, and thanks to the support of the Fondation de France and the French Institutes of Tunisia and Lebanon, the Alliance organised a day focusing on public book policies in the Arab world on Thursday 30 March 2017.
Publishers from Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia presented a panorama of book public policies in their respective countries: Chilean and French publishers spoke on what is being implemented in their countries – a dialogue and exchange between professionals and public authorities, between continents, between cultures.
This day was initiated in the context of the Bibliodiversity Observatory and the mapping of public book policies in Latin America and the Arab world, on-going at the Observatory.
Call for proposal – looking for an author
The Alliance aims to produce an unprecedented study about freedom of publishing, listening to independent publishers about the following questions:
• What are the different infringements of freedom of publishing that independent publishers confront in their countries?
• How do they face these threats in their daily professional life?
• How do the publishers resist, preserve, and defend their freedom of publishing? How do they circumvent censorship?
• Are publishers more vulnerable today than they used to be? Have there been some significant changes in recent years?
• From the point of view of the publishers, is there a limit to freedom of publishing (and freedom of expression)?
The study will be written in French. If you are interested in conducting this study, please send your proposal to the Alliance team before 13 March 2017.}
The sixth ordinary session of the Conference of Parties->https://en.unesco.org/creativity/convention/governing-bodies/conferences/6th-ordinary-session] to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (Paris, UNESCO 12 - 15 June 2017) has approved the Operational Guidelines on the Implementation of the Convention in the Digital Environment.
The International Alliance of independent publishers demands that Turkish authorities immediately release publishers, authors and journalists currently detained. It is necessary to guarantee freedom of speech and publishing in Turkey. The Alliance joins the Turkish Publishers Association’s condemnation of the summary closure of publishing houses and media as a clear human rights violation, and urges the Turkish authorities to rescind those summary closures.
Read issue 4 of the journal Bibliodiversity.
Organised by Afrilivres Association, through the support of its partners and the support of OMEL (Malian book publishers organisation), the first edition of the African Languages Book Fair will convene professionals, academics, institutions, NGOs, and the general public for 3 days of discussions, sharing, exhibition, and sale of books in African languages. An unprecedented and unique event, not to be missed!
Extract from the Communiqué by the Alliance for a call for freedom of speech and publishing in Bangladesh, 10 November 2015:
For several months, authors, bloggers, publishers and booksellers have been the victims of violent and deadly attacks in Bangladesh.
The International Alliance of independent publishers, representing 400 independent publishers from 45 countries in the world, condemns these murderous attacks and assault on freedom of speech and publishing. The Alliance also reaffirms the essential role needing to be played by public authorities, in Bangladesh and throughout the world to enable the emancipation of its citizens, and to guarantee a public space conducive to dialogue and peace. Plurality and diversity of ideas constitute the foundation of democracy. It is urgent that the Bangladeshi government protects and supports actors in the book industry, thus safeguarding the foundations necessary for their work and freedom of speech.
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