READING AFRICA

Paul Westlake, SABDET Director

Presentation at the Standing Conference on Library Materials (SCOLMA) Annual Conference on 7th June, 2006

1. INTRODUCTION

Reading Africa began as a project to support the publicising of the list of Africa’s 100 Best Books with an event held at the British Council on the 30th January 2003, generally regarded as having been very successful, which had the main aim of contributing ‘to raising awareness of, and interest in, African writing and publishing and to encourage reading of African books in the UK’ and which was supported by four specific objectives:

1 To publicise the list of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century
2 To raise awareness of the potential of the list for reading promotion,
  learning about Africa and African writing and publishing, and
  encouraging the wider dissemination of African-authored books
3 To bring together key players in achieving the dissemination and
  promotion of African-authored books, including publishers, writers,
  booksellers and distributors, librarians, book and reading promotion
  organisations, educators and African-interest groups
4 To facilitate and encourage networking and the emergence of
  practical marketing, promotional and educational initiatives

The Reading Africa programme was developed by SABDET. Working with the British Council and in consultation with Book Aid International (BAI) a number of project areas were defined.

2. READING AFRICA PROJECT AREAS

The main project areas developed were as follows:

1 Reading Promotion – selecting titles and targeting their take up by
    readers in the context of encouraging engagement
    with the process as a whole
2 Linking UK and Africa - developing activities which can be implemented in
    parallel in both the UK and Africa
3 Literary Festivals and – encouraging commitment to including African
  Book Fairs writers and African-authored books in their
    programmes
4 Seminars and - developing professional awareness of Reading
  Conferences Africa and consideration of specific elements

The Reading Promotion was intended to have the most significant and widest impact, but the integration of all the elements into a concentrated strategy of profile raising and audience development was important. Achieving synergy and multiplying effects throughout the programme was a key aim.

3. READING PROMOTION

A very effective Reading Africa promotion package was produced. 30 titles of adult literary fiction by African writers were selected and presented in a handy 32 page booklet together with banners, A3 and A4 display headers and showcards and postcards. The design and quality of production were positively received wherever they were shown. Good design, high quality production and efficient distribution were originally thought to be critical and the results fully justified this.

Take up by the public library sector in the UK fell short of the original aim of 50% of the 208 Public Library Authorities in the UK (149 authorities in England, 22 in Wales, 32 in Scotland and 5 Boards in Northern Ireland). 47 libraries ordered a total of 60 sets. Only 2 libraries in Scotland and 1 library in Wales placed orders and there were no orders from Northern Ireland. Orders in England tended to come from libraries in the major urban areas. Rather than run the promotion as a specific event libraries tended to integrate it with Black History Month events and it was viewed as very effective and useful in this regard. Working with the material was reported to be of great benefit by the librarians.

Promotion take up in Africa through the British Council exceeded original projections. The British Council actually purchased 40 sets of the promotion against the 20 originally envisaged. All British Council libraries in Africa received the promotion although the number of partner public libraries in Africa was reduced to six. The British Council reported a very positive response to the promotion from all libraries.

4. LINKING UK AND AFRICA

An important element in Reading Africa was the linking of activities in the UK with Africa and the linking of readers and libraries in the UK and in Africa. Initially the main area of activity was through Reading Promotion activities with libraries in Africa. The British Council took promotion packages for all their 19 centres in Africa as well as for 6 selected public libraries in Africa.

Additionally, the British Council animated the promotion with reader development training, an interactive website and videoconferencing for BC staff in Africa. It also built on this to create links between libraries and reading groups in Africa and the UK and 6 Public Library Authorities, Birmingham City, Blackburn with Darwen, Derbyshire County, Essex County, Glasgow City and the London Borough of Lambeth are partnered with selected African public libraries in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The British Council positively evaluated the partnerships with two UK Public Library Authorities having established effective and ongoing links with their African partners and two in the course of development. Apart from the engagement of the British Council a key component was staff in the UK Public Libraries and in Africa who were committed to developing the links.

5. LITERARY FESTIVALS

Reading Africa attempted to encourage literary festivals to include UK and African based African writers in their programmes for 2004 in the context of developing awareness of Reading Africa and Africa’s 100 Best Books. This proved more difficult than originally envisaged as even festivals which in the past had supported UK and African based African writers did not take up a Reading Africa event. Ilkley Literature Festival was the only established Literary Festival to take an event and three other events were organised in Lambeth, Birmingham and Basildon in conjunction with the programmes of the three partner public library services in these areas. These events all took place as part of Black History Month. All the events were successful with good audiences in Ilkley and Lambeth and moderate ones in Birmingham and Basildon. Audience feedback and evaluation was generally very positive.

Writers involved were Leila Aboulela, Diran Adebayo, Buchi Emecheta, Giles Foden, Wangui wa Goro, Jack Mapanje, Beverley Naidoo, Veronique Tadjo, and Charlotte Williams with Jack Mapanje and Veronique Tadjo appearing on more than one occasion. Veronique Tadjo also attended a specific ‘meet the writer’ event at the Afro-Caribbean Library in Wandsworth.

6. SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES

As originally envisaged, SABDET organised a seminar at the British Council stand at the London Book Fair on Monday 15th March 2004 with the title ‘The role of Literary Festivals and Book Fairs in promoting Books and Reading’ followed by a formal launch of Reading Africa. This was followed, as planned, with two other events, a panel presentation at the African Studies Association of the UK on the 13th September 2004 at Goldsmiths College, University of London titled ‘Aiming for Excellence in African Scholarship – Are African Best Books List and Awards a Help or a Hindrance?’ and an Autumn Conference on the 30th October 2004 at Oxford Brookes University in conjunction with the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies titled ‘Reading Africa: Readers, Libraries and African Publishing'. All the events were very successful attracting a high quality of participants, many of whom volunteered their contributions, and very good attendances with very positive feedback and evaluations. A range of UK and African based African writers and publishers participated. Papers and reports of the two later events are available and will be posted on the SABDET website.

LBF – Margaret Busby, Peter Florence, Wangui wa Goro, Birgitte Jacobsson, Dana Kalinova, Sam Matsangaise, Adam Pushkin, June Turner

ASAUK – Wangui wa Goro, Francis Nyamnjoh, Katherine Salahi

Oxford Brookes – Dayo Alabi, Priscilla Bailly, Walter Bgoya, Henry Chakava, Chege Githiora, Wangui wa Goro, Javed Iqbal, Mary Jay, Andrew Lowing, Mpalive Msiska, Akoss Ofori-Mensah, Tony Olden, Sue Pandit, Kelvin Smith Veronique Tadjo

The British Council provided the basic facilities at the London Book Fair without charge as did the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes.

7. PARTNERS

Effective partnership was agreed to be vital to a successful outcome and was an important aim of the programme. The confirmed partners in Reading Africa were SABDET, the British Council and Book Aid International with SABDET providing the lead coordination and administration. The commitment of the British Council to the programme strengthened over the programme and this has developed the partnership. Book Aid International supported the programme throughout and this has also developed the partnership. The establishment of effective partnerships between some of the UK public libraries and their counterparts in Africa has been a good outcome particularly as these will be ongoing.

8. OUTCOME

As well as achieving specific objectives in terms of the individual project areas the overall aim of raising awareness of, and interest in, African writing and publishing and to encourage reading of African books have been significantly achieved and, additionally, this awareness and interest will be ongoing beyond the initial phase of Reading Africa. Also Reading Africa will provide the framework for further activities and engagement including:

1 Targeted initiatives to build an informed and engaged readership in the UK
  for African writers drawing on the experience and lessons learned so far in
  particular
2 Strengthening existing partnerships and encouraging new ones through
  continuing joint activities and exchanges
3 Continued efforts to make knowledge of the UK market for African books
  and its potential for expansion available to African publishers through
  conferences and other activities designed to promote the exchange of
  views and experience
4 Examining aspects of writing and publishing not previously considered and
  in particular the ways in which prizes such as the Noma, the Caine and the
  Commonwealth Writers influence and engage readers and publishers
5 Developing additional ways of promoting the Reading Africa programme
  particularly through the SABDET website

The Reading Africa programme has had considerable public benefit in terms of informing and engaging a wide range of readers and has been effective on a national scale thereby meeting national needs and it will be an important commitment to maintain the programme on this scale through the coming year.

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