AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP AT ZIBF

African Scholarship at ZIBF is an initiative launched at the 1998 Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Harare, 1-8 August 1998. The initiative grew out of discussions between the ZIBF organisers and concerned scholars in Zimbabwe, North America and Europe over the period from late 1996 onwards.

The aims of African Scholarship at ZIBF are:

• To engage the academic community in the ZIBF and in its international outreach programme
• To address issues of concern to scholars and researchers within the ZIBF programme
• To facilitate South-South and South-North scholarly interchange and debate
• To promote dialogue between scholars, publishers and others in the book and information sector in Africa
• To support the development of scholarly publishing in Africa
• To strengthen the capacity of African scholars to disseminate research results in Africa and internationally

African Scholarship at ZIBF seeks to engage with key issues confronting African and Africa-based scholars, notably the threat of marginalisation in a globalised world, lack of access to information, and exclusion from the processes of global knowledge formation.

The initiative is an umbrella for a range of events and activities centred on the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. Events organised at the ZIBF include

• Academic research seminars
• The Open Forum on aspects of scholarly publishing in Africa
• Training workshops
• Receptions and other opportunities for scholars, publishers, representatives of the book trade and book development community to meet and make contact

Open Forums organised by SABDET at ZIBF99 and ZIBF2000 focused on the Publication of African Scholarly Research and Marketing African Scholarship. At ZIBF2001, the Open Forum was organised by the Zimbabwe Academic and Non-Fiction Authors Association (ZANA) with support from SABDET and focused on Non-Fiction Writing and Publishing in Africa: Constraints and Opportunities.

Click here for a report on the Open Forum at ZIBF2001.

Coordination and development of the African Scholarship initiative

SABDET's role in African Scholarship at ZIBF has been as an animator and facilitator. An informal group of African and international scholars and publishers has contributed valuable ideas, advice and direction for the development of the initiative. An emailing list <africanscholars> is used to distribute information and relevant announcements about the initiative.
To subscribe to <africanscholars> send a message with <subscribe africanscholars> in the body to margaret.ling@geo2.poptel.org.uk

Past special events held at ZIBF

1999 Conference: Women and the environment
2002 Training Workshop: Getting in to print

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