English

Following the round table on Artificial Intelligence organised during the 2023 Babelica book fair (see here), online workshop 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).

The workshop, led by Octavio Kulesz, will take place on May 21 at 12 pm UTC+2 (Paris time).

Here link to connect : https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89330674149

This workshop is free, open to all and no registration is required.
This workshop is supported by Campus AFD.

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

Une coédition solidaire panafricaine : Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinée), Sawa (Mali), Nstame (Gabon), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin)

Une coédition solidaire panafricaine : Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Elondja (République démocratique du Congo), Sawa (Mali), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin)

Une coédition solidaire panafricaine : Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Sawa (Mali), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin)

Une coédition solidaire panafricaine : Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinée), Sawa (Mali), Nstame (Gabon), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin), Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso)

Grâce à un partenariat entre la Fondation Lilian Thuram - Éducation contre le racisme et l’Alliance internationale des éditeurs indépendants, 11 maisons d’édition en Afrique francophone coéditent La pensée blanche, publié initialement aux éditions Philippe Rey (France).

La pensée blanche est disponible dans les pays suivants  : Algérie (Apic), Bénin (Ruisseaux d’Afrique), Burkina Faso (Sankofa & Gurli), Cameroun (Presses universitaires d’Afrique), Côte d’Ivoire (Éburnie), Gabon (Éditions Nstame), Guinée (Ganndal), Mali (Jamana), Maroc (Le Fennec), Sénégal (Papyrus d’Afrique), Togo (Graines de Pensées).

Date de parution : novembre 2023
Format : 14,5 X 22 cm ; 320 pages

Écoutez ici l’interview de Lilian Thuram dans le cadre du Salon international de l’édition indépendante en ligne, Babelica, le 20 septembre 2023.

Le livre
Qu’est-ce qu’être blanc ? Plus qu’une couleur de peau, n’est-ce pas plutôt une pensée ? Qui sont ceux qui l’ont inventée, et pourquoi ? Ce livre raconte l’histoire de la pensée blanche, son origine et son fonctionnement, la manière dont elle divise, comment elle s’est répandue à travers le monde au point d’être aujourd’hui universelle, jusqu’à infuser l’air que l’on respire. Depuis des siècles, la pensée blanche est une norme, la fossilisation de hiérarchies, de schémas de domination, d’habitudes qui nous sont imposées. Elle signifie aux Blancs et aux non-Blancs ce qu’ils doivent être, quelle est leur place. Comme la longue emprise des hommes sur les femmes, elle est profondément ancrée dans nos mentalités et agit au quotidien. Seule sa remise en question permettra d’avancer pour passer à autre chose. Il ne s’agit pas de culpabiliser ni d’accuser, mais de comprendre les mécanismes à l’œuvre, d’en prendre conscience pour construire de nouvelles solidarités. Le temps n’est-il pas venu d’élargir nos points de vue pour nous considérer tous enfin comme des êtres humains ?

Lilian Thuram est né en Guadeloupe en 1972. Il a créé en 2008 la fondation Éducation contre le racisme, pour l’égalité. Il est l’auteur de plusieurs ouvrages dont Mes étoiles noires (Philippe Rey, 2010, prix Seligmann contre le racisme ; coédition solidaire en Afrique francophone, Madagascar et Haïti, 2014), Manifeste pour l’égalité (Autrement, 2012) et Notre histoire (Delcourt, 2014 et 2016). Il a été commissaire général de l’exposition « Exhibitions. L’invention du sauvage », au musée du Quai-Branly en 2011. Prix de l’éthique de la Fondation Kéba-Mbaye au Sénégal en 2014, il est docteur honoris causa en sciences humaines des universités de Stockholm en Suède et de Stirling en Écosse. Dans une première vie, il a connu une carrière prestigieuse de footballeur international. Avec l’équipe de France, il a été Champion du monde en 1998 et Champion d’Europe en 2000.

Yamen Manai nous conte avec fougue le cruel éveil au monde d’un adolescent révolté par les injustices. Heureusement, il a Bella. Entre eux, un amour inconditionnel et l’expérience du mépris dans cette société qui honnit les faibles jusqu’aux chiens qu’on abat « pour que la rage ne se propage pas dans le peuple ».
Mais la rage est déjà là.

Né en 1980 à Tunis, Yamen Manai vit à Paris. Ingénieur, il travaille sur les nouvelles technologies de l’information. Bel abîme (Prix Orange du livre en Afrique 2022, Prix de la littérature arabe 2022…) et ses précédents romans, La marche de l’incertitude (2010), La sérénade d’Ibrahim Santos (2011) et L’amas ardent (2017, Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie) sont publiés aux éditions Elyzad en Tunisie.

Maisons d’édition coéditrices : Amalion (Sénégal), Apic (Algérie), Atelier des nomades (Ile Maurice), Ganndal (Guinée), Graines de Pensées (Togo), Le Fennec (Maroc), Proximité (Cameroun), Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso)
Date de publication de la version panafricaine : 2023, 11,5 X 19 cm
© Elyzad, 2021.

Une coédition solidaire « Le livre équitable ».

The International online Book Fair of Independent Publishing was held from 20 to 22 September. The Babelica programme (readings in Arabic, Creole, Mapuche, etc. ; round tables on artificial intelligence, decolonial ecology, inclusive publishing, cartoneras in Latin America, translation in the Arab world, solidarity co-publishing, etc. ; meetings with Lilian Thuram and Vandana Shiva, etc.) can be (re)viewed and (re)listened to in replay on the Alliance’s YouTube channel.

The Babelica Book Fair (bringing together over 90 publishers from around the world) is available online throughout the year, until the next edition of Babelica in 2024 !

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers would once again like to thank Babelica’s partners (Campus AFD and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie) ; Maxime Guedj (PCFH Studio) and Thibault Daumain, who designed and developed the Babelica platform ; all the speakers ; the team of interpreters and everyone else who contributed to the success of this second edition !

The ICIP’s annual meeting, a key opportunity to build the Alliance’s 2024 action plan and also to review the operation, organisation and associative life of the association, will bring together all the coordinators of the language networks for a 3-day meeting.

A session open to all Alliance members is scheduled for 25 October, from 2pm to 4pm (French time).

The programme is available here

The socio-economic environment, historical approach and political context are only some of the factors to consider in appreciating, in all its complexity and diversity, the notion of an independent publisher. Independent publishers in Chile, France, Benin, Lebanon, or India work in specific contexts that have direct consequences on their activities. However, although the situation differs from one country to another, it is possible to agree on some criteria in order to define what is an independent publisher. Independent publishers develop their editorial policy freely, autonomously, and without external interference. They are not the mouthpieces for a political party, religion, institution, communication group, or company. The structure of capital and the shareholders identity also affect their independence : the takeover of publishing houses by big companies not linked to publishing and implementation of profit-driven policies often result in a loss of independence and a shift in publishing orientation. Independent publishers, as defined by the Alliance’s publishers, are originating publishers : through their often-innovative publishing choices, freedom of speech, publishing and financial risk-taking, they participate in discussions, distribution, and development of their readers’ critical thinking. In this regard, they are key players in bibliodiversity.

At the 80^th IFLA Congress (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), from 16 to 22 August 2014 in Lyon (France), the International Alliance of independent publishers will present a paper on “What new book donation practices can meet the needs of young African readers in libraries ?”
This analysis on book donation practices and their impact both on the readers and book industry in French-speaking Africa, is written by Marie Michèle RAZAFINTSALAMA (éditions Jeunes malgaches, Madagascar) and the Alliance team. She is continuing the research and advocacy work begun a number of years ago by a group of publisher-members of the Alliance on book donation challenges for bibliodiversity. This paper is an extension to the workshop on book donations held in March 2013 in Paris (International Assembly of independent publishers).

To read the paper “What new book donation practices can meet the needs of young African readers in libraries ?” (IFLA 2014), see here.

Bibliodiversity is cultural diversity applied to the world of books. Echoing biodiversity, it refers to the critical diversity of products (books, scripts, eBooks, apps, and oral literature) made available to readers. Bibliodiversity is a complex, self-sustaining system of storytelling, writing, publishing, and other kinds of production of oral and written literature. The writers and producers are comparable to the inhabitants of an ecosystem. Bibliodiversity contributes to a thriving life of culture and a healthy eco-social system. While large publishers do contribute to publishing diversity through the quantitative importance of their production, it is not enough to guarantee bibliodiversity, which is not only measured by the number of titles available.
Independent publishers, even if they consider their publishing houses’ economic balance, are above all concerned with the content of published products. Independent publishers’ books bring a different outlook and voice, as opposed to the more standardised publications offered by major groups. Independent publishers’ books and other products and their preferred diffusion channels (independent booksellers, among others) are therefore essential to preserve and strengthen plurality and the diffusion of ideas. The word bibliodiversity was invented by Chilean publishers, during the creation of the “Editores independientes de Chile” collective in the late 1990s. The International Alliance of independent publishers significantly contributed to the diffusion and promotion of this notion in several languages, including through the Dakar Declaration (2003), Guadalajara Declaration (2005), Paris Declaration (2007), Cape Town Declaration (2014) and the Pamplona-Iruñea Declaration (2021). Since 2010, International Bibliodiversity Day is celebrated on 21 September.

See the article « Bibliodiversity » on Wikipedia.
The article also exists in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The bibliodiversity, in pictures !

This issue is dedicated to Andre Schiffrin, member of the Scientific Committee of the journal Bibliodiversity.

Follow this link to listen to the “Danse des mots” programme of April 18 2013, focusing on book donations. Yvan AMAR interviews Raphaël THIERRY, following the publication of the article in Africultures, April 8 2013 “Giving is not receiving. Thoughts on book donations in Africa”.

Container full of books inundating the market, books produced in another cultural setting given away free to readers or public libraries, the setup of local branches by publishing groups from abroad aiming to achieve monopoly conditions… Drawing on some examples of practices with damaging consequences to the publishing market in developing countries, Étienne Galliand (founder of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers) presents an overview of the predation to which emerging markets are subjected directly or indirectly. An edifying panorama.

As a complement to this article, you can consult the Guidelines for Fair Publishing Partnerships (in French).

While many African languages exist, publishing in local languages is almost inexistent because of the inherited dominance of colonial languages. However, some publishing houses publish in local languages and by doing so reach an often isolated readership. To preserve texts, promote authors, and widely circulate ideas, some publishers wished to meet to facilitate a flow of translations from one African language to another, to develop bilingual or trilingual co-publishing projects – representatives of Africa’s linguistic diversity.

How can we implement these projects ? How can new technologies enable them ? From an inventory of publishing practices in national and local languages, carried out by participants especially for this workshop, publishers will propose collective editorial projects that could be implemented in the years to come with the support of the Alliance, amongst others. The creation of an African language book fair will also be at the heart of discussions : this fair could represent the next meeting opportunity for public authorities and lead to measures that promote learning and publishing in national languages.
Through sharing experiences amongst eight African publishers and input from various participants, the workshop’s issues include :
* raising public authorities’ awareness on the development of learning in national languages ;
* drafting practical proposals addressed to organisations working for the advancement of local languages ;
* formulating recommendations addressed to book professionals and advocating for the creation of a local languages book fair and the development of African language publishing projects.
This workshop is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

From 2009 to 2015, the Alliance developed, on request of publisher members, a modest diffusion and distribution activity in France of youth literature published in Africa (« Lectures d’Afrique(s) ») . This fund addresses a double issue : make literary production published in Africa accessible and visible in the Northern market Northern market and, more modestly, participate in a rebalancing of commercial flow between South and North.
The youth sector, expanding in many regions in the world, is strategic in countries where publishing is emergent – it is indeed through youth literature that tomorrow’s readerships are formed. While catering to their local readership, publishers in Africa also wish to be known internationally. Their participation at book fairs in the North, for instance the Youth Book and Press Fair in Seine-Saint-Denis, reveals the presence of a readership on the Northern markets.