English

Dans un village de l’île Maurice vit le dodo aux plumes d’or. Son fabuleux pouvoir attire la convoitise des villageois. Le dodo est menaceì. Seule la bonne femme Mimine décide de le protéger. Mais saura-t-elle déjouer les ruses des cupides villageois ?

Une coédition panafricaine réunissant l’Atelier des nomades (Île Maurice) et les éditions Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire).

Date de publication : septembre 2020

Cette coédition solidaire est issue d’un atelier sur la littérature jeunesse organisé par l’Alliance à Abidjan, en mai 2019, dans le cadre des Assises internationales de l’édition indépendante 2019-2021. Elle a reçu le soutien de l’Agence française de développement.

Comment Tizan a transformé une sauterelle en vache ? Pourquoi un éléphant et une baleine sont convaincus qu’un petit lièvre est beaucoup plus fort qu’eux ? Autour de Tizan, du compère jaco, du lièvre et des personnages populaires de la tradition orale mauricienne, ce recueil réunit 9 contes rusés et drôles pour découvrir une île Maurice remplie de malice.

Une coédition panafricaine réunissant l’Atelier des nomades (Île Maurice) et les éditions Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire).

Date de publication : septembre 2020

Cette coédition solidaire est issue d’un atelier sur la littérature jeunesse organisé par l’Alliance à Abidjan, en mai 2019, dans le cadre des Assises internationales de l’édition indépendante 2019-2021. Elle a reçu le soutien de l’Agence française de développement.

Une coédition panafricaine réunissant les éditions Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin) et les éditions Vallesse (Côte d’Ivoire).

Date de publication : septembre 2020

Cette coédition solidaire est issue d’un atelier sur la littérature jeunesse organisé par l’Alliance à Abidjan, en mai 2019, dans le cadre des Assises internationales de l’édition indépendante 2019-2021. Elle a reçu le soutien de l’Agence française de développement.

Les illustrations de ce livre ont reçu, en 2018, le 1^er prix de la première édition du prix Hervé Gigot pour l’illustration du livre jeunesse en Afrique, initié par les éditions Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin).

Une coédition panafricaine réunissant les éditions Ntsamé (Gabon) et les éditions Elondja (RDC).

Date de publication : septembre 2020

Cette coédition solidaire est issue d’un atelier sur la littérature jeunesse organisé par l’Alliance à Abidjan, en mai 2019, dans le cadre des Assises internationales de l’édition indépendante 2019-2021. Elle a reçu le soutien de l’Agence française de développement.

Koné a l’âge de rentrer dans la forêt sacrée pour en ramener un animal fantastique qui l’accompagnera toute sa vie. Mais la forêt est pleine de dangers et les animaux sont devenus difficiles et rares à trouver. Quand Koné rencontre enfin le camélion, comprendra-t-il le message et sera-t-il capable de mener à bien sa mission ?

Une coédition panafricaine réunissant les éditions Ganndal (Guinée Conakry), les éditions Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin), Graines de Pensées (Togo), les éditions Ntsamé (Gabon) et les éditions Elondja (RDC).

Date de publication : septembre 2020

Cette coédition solidaire est issue d’un atelier sur la littérature jeunesse organisé par l’Alliance à Abidjan, en mai 2019, dans le cadre des Assises internationales de l’édition indépendante 2019-2021. Elle a reçu le soutien de l’Agence française de développement.

“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.

To be an independent publisher is to question the world, to help make sense of it, today and tomorrow

At a time when every country in the world is affected by the pandemic, we, as independent publishers around the world, are experiencing diverse health, social and economic situations. We are facing different realities, in different timeframes : immediate risks for some sections of the population (India, Madagascar, Indonesia...) ; a pandemic that strikes in contexts of already established political crisis (Haiti, Egypt, Syria...) ; the near absence or delayed implementation of public book policies (Cameroon, Gabon...) ; the resilience of independent publishing houses in the face of big corporations (Australia...).... While our contexts are diverse, our concerns remain collective : fragility of independent structures, uncertainty about the future, concern about possible abuses (surveillance society, pressure on employees, online teaching and learning, etc.).

We are in perpetual questioning, trying to understand our world : what to do, how, with whom, at what pace ?
We need time to understand, to comprehend – which we had planned to do by 2021, as well as our “Rethink and Celebrate” Conference. REthink : to remain a conscious and creative actor, to act, in terms of ecology, social and solidarity economy, new approaches to readers, cooperative practices between professionals, freedom of publishing, fair speech...

Read more below...

See also :
Public book policies website

Digital Lab

Read the text in Arabic :

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers and publishers from the Spanish-language network pay tribute to the memory of the Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, who died on 16 April 2020 in Oviedo (Spain) as a result of the Coronavirus, after several weeks in hospital.

The Ibero-American Book Fair in Gijón, organised and directed by Luis Sepúlveda for more than a decade, was the setting for the creation of the first network of Spanish-language independent publishers, and the first meeting of Latin American independent publishers was held in 2000.

As a result, the International Alliance of Independent Publishers and the Association of Independent Publishers of Chile, now Editores de Chile, were formed.

Today we pay tribute to a man of generosity, solidarity and commitment to building a more just and humane world.

Ramla, Hindou et Safira. Trois femmes, trois histoires, trois destins liés. Ramla est mariée à Alhadji Issa, l’époux de Safira. Sa sœur Hindou épousera son cousin Moubarak. À toutes, l’entourage familial n’aura qu’un seul et unique conseil : Munyal ! Patience !

Violences conjugales, physiques et morales, intrigues, alliances, maraboutismes... Munyal, les larmes de la patience brise les tabous, rompt le silence et lève le voile complice de la condition de la femme dans le Sahel.

Née à Maroua au Nord du Cameroun, Djaïli Amadou Amal vit à Douala. Walaande, l’art de partager un mari et Mistiriijo, la mangeuse d’âmes, ses deux premiers romans, l’ont classée parmi les valeurs sûres de la littérature africaine contemporaine. Mynual, les larmes de la patience a reçu en 2019 le Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique ainsi que le Prix de la Presse panafricaine 2019.

Coéditeurs : Eburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinée Conakry), Graines de Pensées (Togo), Le Fennec (Maroc), Proximité (Cameroun), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin), Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso), Tombouctou (Mali)
Date de publication de la version panafricaine : 2020, 11,5 X 19 cm
Édition première au Cameroun : Proximité, 2019

Cette coédition solidaire porte le label Le livre équitable.

Couverture de la version marocaine de la coédition :

An unprecedented study to be published in July 2020, initiated and coordinated by the Alliance !

A sociological survey conducted by Anne-Marie Voisard, Quebec researcher (MA on strategic lawsuits against public participation and legal repression of freedom of speech from the University of Montréal) and written by Philippe Chibani-Jacquot ; a historical introduction by Jean-Yves Mollier, French historian.

Since the creation of the Alliance, publishers – custodians of freedom of speech alongside journalists, authors, bloggers, booksellers, artists… – have been the whistleblowers on instances of censorship occurring in some countries. Over the past few years, we have noticed some new forms of attack on freedom of speech. In several contexts, pressures and limitations exercised on public speech are increasing. After the wave of freedom expected during the revolutions in the Arab world, the series of attacks in Africa, Europe, and in the Arab world, destabilised freedom of speech : a loss of sense, of bearings that brings us to question spaces of freedom, the reach of words and the power of the medium.

The freedom of publishing is a “category” of freedom of speech that can take different forms through various supports. The freedom of publishing pertains to the liberty to choose an author, to select or commission manuscripts, publish them, disseminate and distribute them, and put them on the market – all these activities are at the heart of publishers’ work. The threats to the freedom of publishing are precisely what the Alliance seeks to examine in this study.

In different geopolitical contexts, threatened by different forms of censorship, the Alliance’s independent publishers are committed to circulate texts and ideas, to amplify voices, even if sometimes they are in minority, to participate in building critical thinking and emancipation. It is their responsibility, both professional and civic.

Read here the presentation of the study, of the authors, the methodology...

Read here the report of the workshop on « African Book Industry », organized by the Global Book Alliance (USAID) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) in January 2018.
The workshop brought together 79 key stakeholders in the African Book Publishing Industry from 22 African countries.
More information here.

Publishers from the Alliance condemn the banning of the book El desarme, la vía vasca d’Iñaki Egaña (copublished by Txalaparta, Gara journal, and Mediabask media), during its promotion on Basque radio-television.

Read here the proceedings of the colloquium on “Children’s Literature in Africa” (in French), organised by Ganndal, Conakry, November 2017.

Read the “Conclusions of the Symposium on the Challenges of the Promotion and Distribution of Books in African Languages”, organized by Ganndal publishing in Conakry (Guinea Conakry), 27-28 November 2017.

Read the conclusions and proposals formulated by publishers from Francophone Africa following the workshop organised by the Alliance on “Digital tools and African languages”, held in Conakry, in November 2017, thanks the support of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the partnership with the house publishing Ganndal.

Nouvelle édition publiée en 2017 par la marca editora (Argentine), en coédition avec EDINAR (Argentine) et le CERLALC.
Ouvrage de référence publié initialement par le CERLALC.

ISBN : 978-950-889-299-7
264 pages / 20 X 25 cm

Pour en savoir plus.

Voir également ci-dessous l’édition péruvienne du Manual de edición, éditée par La Travesía Editora, maison d’édition péruvienne, membre du collectif EIP au Pérou.

Publishing professionals charter and code of ethics, produced by the Organisation malienne des éditeurs de livre (OMEL), Mali, 2017.

This charter was produced by OMEL (Organisation malienne des éditeurs de livre) in April 2017, which authorized the Alliance to publish it on its website.

Re|Shaping Cultural Policies 2018 (UNESCO 2005 Convention Global Report)
Creativity at the Heart of Development
Excerpt from the foreword :
“This new UNESCO Global Report ‘Re|Shaping Cultural Policies’ is an invaluable tool for the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This Convention, now ratified by 146 Parties, including the European Union, is leading UNESCO’s efforts to strengthen capacities for the creation, production, and dissemination of cultural goods, services, and activities. States are supported in their sovereign right to implement public policies for the development of strong and dynamic cultural and creative industry sectors. UNESCO is committed to developing more effective and sustainable public policies in these areas.
Our roadmap is clear and requires the cooperation of governments and non-governmental actors in four key areas : strengthening governance for culture, improving the conditions for the mobility of artists, integrating culture in sustainable development strategies, and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms. These four goals are closely linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Audrey Azoulay
Director-General of UNESCO

Read the report here.

Octavio Kulesz, member of the Digital Lab of the Alliance is the author of Chapter 3 of the report : « Cultural Policies in the Age of Platforms ».

Feasibility study on the establishment of digital printing structures for independent publishers, by Gilles Colleu (November 2017)

Among the 80 recommendations of the International Assembly of independent publishers (2012-2014), independent publishers called on public authorities and international organisations to “contribute and support the establishment of in-country digital printers and printing facilities, on demand (including in sub-Saharan African) to promote access to books”.

The Alliance thus launched a feasibility study in 2016, on the establishment of digital printing facilities in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Above all, the aim was to find out whether digital printing is a relevant alternative, and on what conditions. To do so, the study surveys the needs of local professionals, and discusses the potentials and benefits as well as limitations inherent to digital printing, based on realities and practices of Francophone publishers from sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Finally, it discusses the feasibility scenarios for the establishment of a digital printing hub.

By focusing on the technical aspect of digital printing as well as on the development potential in a Francophone African context, this study goes beyond a feasibility study and proposes reflection points on the economic and strategic models of independent publishing.

This study was supported by the International Organisation of Francophonie. A full version of the study is available to members of the Alliance.
For questions or comments, please contact the team of the Alliance.

Gilles COLLEU, author of the study
Former lecturer at the University Institute of Technology « Book Trade » in Aix-en-Provence, former Director of production and digital publishing for Actes Sud, Gilles Colleu established and manages, with Jutta Hepke, Vents d’ailleurs (La Roque d’Anthéron, France), member of the International Alliance of independent publishers. He co manages the digital printing hub Yenooa and incubator Rue des éditeurs and actively participates in the Digital Lab of the Alliance (tutorials, training).