FYI, this item on the Cape Town Book Fair last month mentions African language publications. DZO
Africa's biggest book fair underway in Cape Town http://books.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1173631.php/Africas_biggest_book_fair_underway_in_Cape_Town By Benita van Eyssen Jun 18, 2006, 13:25 GMT Johannesburg - The Cape Town Book Fair, the biggest of its kind in Africa, was launched amid great public interest in the South African city of Cape Town at the weekend. The turnout far exceeded the expectations of the organizers of the event, which they hope will become a key annual platform for literary talent and business. 'We are mildly ecstatic over public interest. We started out very confident with our estimates that we would get 30,000 visitors, but were told that we were being too optimistic. 'But by yesterday, we hit 7,000 to 8,000 visitors by the afternoon,' event director Vanessa Badroodien told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa. About 209 exhibitors, 150 from African countries, many of which are aligned to the Publishers' Association of South Africa (PASA), were participating at the event. The fair has its origins in a partnership between the PASA and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest literary fair. As South Africa's creative and intellectual hub, Cape Town was an appropriate venue for the four-day event that will become an annual affair for authors, publishers and intellectuals to tackle some significant issues in the book trade, Badroodien said. She would like to see the fair take on the character of a 'marketplace' for African literary talent and publishing 'with a strong South African part,' she added. Activities included the launch of several fiction and non-fiction titles and readings by authors of recently published works, including the unauthorised biography of South Africa's Nobel literature laureate Nadine Gordimer, written by Ronald Suresh Roberts. Zimbabwe-born English author Alexander McCall-Smith was also in attendance to discuss, among others, his successful fictional series set in Botswana, The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. African language titles, French, German and Swiss novels and educational text books, special-interest publications and children's books published in English and other languages were also on exhibit. More than two dozen Indian and Chinese publishers were among the Asian representatives at the event. A wide array of seminars, panel discussions and workshops covered topics such as language, particularly indigenous African languages, books' content, literary consumption as well as reactions to and perceptions of available material. A discussion on Islam and politics, aspects of poetry and a public lecture on how to get published also formed part of the fair's programme. Participants also looked at the possible contribution of literature to the next World Cup Football tournament set to take place in South Africa in 2010. Members of the public, Badroodien noted on Sunday, appeared most interested in books on religion and football in the 'coffee table book' format. Frankfurt Book Fair CEO Juergen Boos, in an interview with dpa at the event, described the link between the European fair and Africa as 'long-standing.' 'For 30 years there has been contact into Africa, with the book fairs in Cairo and Zimbabwe,' he said. 'When we were contacted by PASA we thought it fitting to have a book fair in Cape Town and help bring about contact with books,' he said. Boos explained that it was difficult for publishers from southern Africa to travel in order to access modern literary offerings and potential. 'What we are giving is competence support,' he said citing contacts - the Frankfurt Book Fair represents 7,500 publishers - networking opportunities and technical advice. He said the diversity of language and the enthusiasm of South African publishers had left an impression on the Cape Town event. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/TISQkA/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
