Bellagiop Ublishing N Etworkn Ewsletter
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BELLAGIO PUBLISHING NETWORK NEWSLETTER An occasional publication concerning publishing and book development Number 26-27 double issue November 2000 The Bellagio Publishing Network is an informal association of organisations dedicated to strengthening indigenous publishing and book development in Africa. The group includes publishers, donor organisations from both government and private voluntary sectors, and others who are concerned with books and publishing. This newsletter covers news of the Network and perspectives on publishing and book development. News and Reports on Publishing 2 Caribbean publishers form CAPNET By Katherine Salahi 4 Editorial 4 Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2000 By Dede Amanor-Wilks 7 Partnership with APNET: from donors to strategic partners By Rachel Wiggans 8 The Asmara declaration on African languages and literatures 9 Publishing in local languages By Akin Fasemore 11 Childrens reading - all-Africa conference By Elinor Sisulu 12 Marketing and selling books in Africa By Rachel Wiggans 15 Encouraging reading in Nigeria By Richard Mammah 17 Awards to African books Perspectives and Commentary 19 Book scheme for basic schools in Ghana By Akoss Afori-Mensah 21 Towards a unified textbook system in Kenya By Caroline Pontefract and Nereah Were 23 Piracy and ignorance in Kenya By Jimmi Makotsi 24 Reprography and copyright in Nigeria By Ajibola Maxwell Oyinloye 25 Copyright in Nepal By Pustun Pradhan 27 Book publishing liberalisation in Zambia By Chris Chirwa Departments 30Bellagio Publishing Network Secretariat 31 Bellagio Publishing Network Research and Information Center 32 African impact - a celebration of Africas 100 best books 33 Book reviews and new publications 2 News and Reports on Publishing Caribbean publishers form CAPNET small task, given the highly fragmented nature of the region, Katherine Salahi not to mention the industry. It was hard enough to find out Katherine Salahi is Co-ordinator, Bellagio Publishing Network which publishers existed in the English-speaking islands; hen Ian Randle wrote to the Bellagio Publishing what about Haiti? St Maarten? Puerto Rico? W Network, sometime in the mid-90s, asking whether The Bellagio secretariat meanwhile sought ways to the Caribbean could be included in terms of support for continue supporting the Network once core funding ended. indigenous publishing, the response was guarded. The It was clear that much work remained to be done to principle of support for all southern publishing industries strengthen southern publishing industries, and that closing had been established right at the beginning of the Networks down the Bellagio Publishing Network would send a existence, and continued in the Newsletter. But the Bellagio negative signal to southern publishers. The secretariat staff Group of donors were unequivocal about limiting their decided, therefore, to set up a separate company to work support to Africa and the knowhow in the Network was alongside the Bellagio Publishing Network secretariat. The largely African. APNET was still finding its feet as a pan- company would provide a framework for the staff to African association of African publishers. We invited Randle undertake project work beyond the brief of the Bellagio to attend the Bellagio Publishing Network meeting in Accra Group of donors; it would also help to sustain the Bellagio in 1996, and he began to build his contacts. secretariat work once the donor funding came to an end. In June 2000 Interculture was formally registered in England as a not-for-profit limited company. A small group of Caribbean publishers Intercultures first assignment was to help with the began making plans to call a regional logistics of a consultative meeting called by the Ford meeting of Caribbean publishers. They Foundation in Trinidad. The Foundation wanted to find aimed to bring together publishers from all out more about the range of cultural enterprises existing in the four language groups in the region. This the Caribbean region, with a view to funding regional was no small task, given the highly cultural initiatives in the future. Ian Randle was invited to fragmented nature of the region. speak on publishing. It was too good an opportunity to miss. The Ford Foundation agreed to include funding for several publishers to attend the consultative meeting, with the By mid-1999 UNESCO were willing to include proviso that representation from the region should be as publishing as a separate agenda item at a meeting in Jamaica wide as possible. Some publishers came under their own on regional book policies. Various Caribbean publishers steam, Trinidadian publishers joined in, separate meetings attended, as did an APNET delegation. At the end of 1999, were organised with the help of Interculture, and by the at the Bellagio Publishing Network annual meeting held in time it was Ian Randles turn to speak at the Ford New York, Randle reported that there was now enough consultative meeting he was able to announce the formation interest in the Caribbean to think of setting up a Caribbean of a Caribbean Publishers Network, to be called CAPNET Publishing Network, emulating APNETs example. in obvious recognition of the debt owed to the example of Conditions were, in many cases, similar: an industry APNET. dominated by northern multinationals, a few weak local The first CAPNET Council consisted of six officers: publishers, inexperienced and under-resourced, in need of Ian Randle (Jamaica) as President, Alfredo Torres (Puerto professional and financial support to help them up the rungs Rico) as Vice-President, Ken Jaikaransingh and Jeremy of the industry. The audience listened interestedly, nodded Taylor (both Trinidad) as Treasurer and Secretary, and sympathetically, and went home. The Secretariat was under Montserrat Duran (Belize) and Ilona Armand (Haiti) as instructions to wind down operations, now that APNETs Council members; Alex Richards from St Martin, a librarian partnership with its funders was up and running. There with legal training, became ex-officio member responsible would be no funding for a similar support network for for legal matters. Press releases, e-news and personal Caribbean publishing. contacts spread the word quickly around the world. APNET Undeterred, a small group of Caribbean publishers expressed their delight at the existence of this new network began making plans to call a regional meeting of Caribbean and their sense of pride in the inspirational role they had publishers. They aimed to bring together publishers from played. Messages of support poured in. all the four language groups in the region. This was no 3 The CAPNET Council were keenly aware of the Throughout the discussions in Italy the group looked challenges they faced. So little was known about the at the challenges of working in the four language groups of publishing that exists in the Caribbean, so little contact the region. The largest language group by many millions is takes place between islands, especially between the different the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, whose publishing language groups. In parallel with APNET, they saw their conditions differ markedly from the rest, and also from mission as the development of publishing as a tool for the each other: publishing in Cuba is radically different from region in the face of globalisation. And they recognised the publishing in Puerto Rico (although the countries consider importance, in spite of the difficulties and the expense, of themselves two wings of the same bird), and both are arranging to meet again as soon as possible. different from the Dominican Republic. Similarly Haiti, with its thriving indigenous publishing industry, can not be compared with Martinique and Guadeloupe, whose intimate The decision to expand the CAPNET Council links with France are reflected in their French-dominated to 12, to include two representatives of each book publishing. In comparison the British islands, diverse of the four language groups, each from a as they are, look like one homogeneous market. The decision different island, reflects the team’s concern to expand the CAPNET Council to 12, to include two to accommodate all its diverse potential representatives of each of the four language groups, each membership. from a different island, reflects the teams concern to accommodate all its diverse potential membership. As a result, the challenge CAPNET faces to build a Less than five months later, from 13 to 17 November, pan-Caribbean network working in four languages is every with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, eight bit as daunting as APNETs (some would say more so). publishers met for an intensive planning week at the Almost none of the publishers round the table had met before Rockefeller Conference and Study Center in Bellagio, last Junes meeting in Trinidad. In fact, they confessed, for northern Italy. In addition to the six original Council the most part they did not even know of each others members were Dorothy Noel from Carlong Publishers, a existence. One thing became clear: the opportunity textbook publishing house in Jamaica, and Jorge Luna CAPNET offers to get to know each other excites and Mendoza from the Cuban Book Chamber. In recognition pleases them all, in business, personal and Caribbean of APNETs pioneering role, the APNET Board were invited regional terms. As with APNET, even if CAPNET were to to send two of their members to join the meeting. APNET fail tomorrow, it will leave an industry made stronger by Vice-President James Tumusiime (Uganda) and Mamadou the regional links it has fostered. Aliou Sow (Guinea), Chair of the African Publishing CAPNET aims to be self-sufficient. The Council Institute, APNETs training wing, provided invaluable recognises, none the less, that support is needed at least in guidance and support. Katherine Salahi of the Bellagio the early stages to get the organisation up and running. In Publishing Network secretariat and Interculture, which had the current political climate it is unlikely that they will find helped set up the meeting in Bellagio, acted as minute- the kind of initial support given to APNET, a network of taker and, together with Bellagio Publishing Network funders willing to work together and with NGOs.