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Terra viva. My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements

Author(s) : Vandana SHIVA
Publishing countries : Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Syria, Tunisia

Vandana Shiva has worked with farmers’ and people’s movements across the world against what she calls “seed imperialism”, economic polarisation, and the digital colonisation of our ecological and social diversity. This powerful memoir looks back at the most memorable campaigns and movements that she has been part of, while looking ahead to the challenges posed by the COVID crisis, the privatisation of biotechnology, and the commodification of our biological and natural resources. “The awareness that Vandana’s work and actions provoke is sublime”, says Gilles-Éric Séralini, “it will bring you light”.
© Women Unlimited (India)

First publication by two Alliance’s members, Women Unlimited (India) and Spinifex (Australia).

Translations and co-publishings of Terra viva by members of the Alliance:

  • Boitempo (Brazil), 2024
  • Marjin Kiri (Indonesia), 2024
  • Wildproject and Rue de l’échiquier (France), 2023
  • Continta Me Tienes (Spain), LOM Ediciones (Chile) and Econautas Editorial (Argentina) for a co-publishing in Spain and Latin America, 2024
  • Atlas Publishing (Syria), Med Ali (Tunisia), Sefsafa Publishing (Egypt) and Mamdouh Adwan Publishing (Syria) for a co-publishing in the Arab world - in progress
  • Nogaam Publishing (UK/Iran) and Dena Books (Netherlands/Iran) for a co-publishing into Persian - in progress
  • Vakxikon Publications (Greece) - in progress

Several of these translations have benefited from the support of the Jan Michalski Foundation.

Vandana Shiva is one of the Alliance’s Bibliodiversity Ambassador. Listen here the replay of the round table with Vandana Shiva during Babelica 2023.

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Meeting of the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP), 22-24 October 2024

The coordinators of the Alliance’s language networks, meeting as the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP), will be gathering in Paris from 22 to 24 October for the Alliance’s annual governance and operational meeting.

See the list of the 12 members (Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Indonesia, Haiti, Madagascar, Portugal, South Africa, Syria, Togo, United Kingdom/Iran) of the ICIP.

Consult the programme here.

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HotList Arab world

While the Arab world shares a language, the Arabic language, which has cemented its culture over centuries, it is far from being the only one. From the Maghreb to the Mashreq, from the Horn of Africa to Cham, this immense space covers a diversity of realities. Linguistic diversity is therefore inherent to it.

More than 30 independent publishing houses from 7 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Syria and Tunisia) and 9 languages offer you an immersion in the literature, humanities and children’s literature of the Arab world!

Through this HotList, available in Arabic and English, the independent publishers of the Arab world invite you to discover the 1001 facets of literary and intellectual creativity of their country.

Discover the HotList Arab world here!

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Babelica 2024 - REPLAY

Replays of Babelica 2024 are online on the Babelica platform and on the Alliance’s YouTube channel!

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The Babelica book fair opens on 19 September 2024!

From 19 September, the books of the 2024 Babelica fair will be unveiled: over 90 publishing houses represented in 53 countries around the world.

A wealth of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books to discover here (and filters to help you refine your searches, by language, literary genre or country).

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Babelica 2024, 20-21 September: the program is available!

The 2024 edition of Babelica will take place on 20 and 21 September, 21 September being International Bibliodiversity Day.

The Babelica program is online here!

The Babelica book fair is available online throughout the year. Here you can find the books presented during the 2023 edition of Babelica. The books of the 2024 edition of Babelica will be unveiled on 19 September.

To watch the discussions and debates at Babelica 2023, click here.

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Artificial intelligence and bibliodiversity, watch the workshop online

Following the round table on Artificial Intelligence organised during the 2023 Babelica book fair (see here), online workshop led by Octavio Kulesz is proposed on the challenges of AI for independent publishers (knowledge and understanding of how AI works and some of its tools, analysis of the challenges of AI for independent publishing from an intercultural perspective and with regard to bibliodiversity).

Here link to watch the workshop

This workshop is supported by Campus AFD.

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Alliance’s programme for 2024

1. The Alliance, a space for experimentation and reflection through the Bibliodiversity Observatory
Continue the analyses, reflections and advocacy via the 4 thematic working groups

  • Book ecology
  • Digital publishing: workshops on artificial intelligence
  • Public book policies: mapping public book policies in the Arab world (launch as part of a book fair in the Arab world at the end of 2024) + Guide to Good Practice for public book purchasing (translation and adaptation of this Guide for other geographical and linguistic areas)
  • Freedom to publish: publication of transversal analyses and a series of interviews and podcasts

Equipping and documenting international independent publishing

  • Guide to Good Practice (see here)
  • Bibliodiversité journal (see here): special issue on precariousness in 2024

2. The Alliance, a space for collaboration and sharing
Sharing practices and expertise between publishers; meeting up and strengthening the flow of exchanges

  • Workshops and exchanges of know-how, within the thematic groups and as part of Babelica
  • Virtual meetings, workshops and training sessions on themes defined with the Alliance’s thematic groups (with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and other themes).
  • On-site training (venue to be confirmed) for publishing houses in French-speaking Africa
  • Professional meetings at the Brussels Book Fair (4-7 April 2024) 

3. The Alliance, a tool for the promotion and the visibility of independent publishing
To encourage the visibility and promotion of independent publishing; to promote the circulation of books and other publications by independent publishing houses

  • Babelica (see here), September 2024 (book fair, meetings and discussions dedicated to international independent publishing)
  • Tehran Book Fair, Uncensored (see here)
  • Presence of members at book fairs and exhibitions in 2024

4. The Alliance, a laboratory of alternative publishing practices
Pursue and strengthen solidarity-based publishing partnerships (transfer of rights, translations, co-publications, etc.)

  • Publishing groups by catalogue affinity (literature, humanities and social sciences and children’s literature): online project fairs (transfer of rights, exchanges on publishing projects) + support for transfer of rights and co-publications (see here)
  • Publishing projects in progress and/or under consideration

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Moussa et la poule reine

Author(s) : Julien ALIHONOU (MAKEJOS)
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Mali
Language(s) : French

A pan-African solidarity co-publication: Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinea), Sawa (Mali), Nstame (Gabon), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin)

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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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