The Zimbabwe International Book Fair had for many years struggled to make an impact on the local arts calendar but this year’s edition, which was held at the beginning of last month, turned the tables in favour of literature lovers.Report by Book fair now back on track:
Last week, the book fair board resuscitated the Mutare Book Fair that had not taken place for about five years.
With the success of the national edition and the return of Mutare Book Fair, this can be taken as a good year for the literary scene.
Musayemura Zimunya and his team deserve credit for a job well-done. It had become difficult for sponsors to bankroll the fair because it had lost lustre. There were a number of international exhibitors at this year’s national edition and the Mutare event is reported to have done well.
It had become worrying that the book fair, which is supposed to be the premier event for authors and readers, had degenerated into a low key affair that did not attract much attention.
Even the interest among school children that usually visited the fair had depreciated and schools were no longer keen on sending pupils to the event. Although some exhibitors to this year’s national edition complained about lack of security, most of the facets of the fair that include the indaba and live literature centre were lively.
It is now time for various stakeholders in the literature industry to join hands with the organisers so that the fair fully recovers and gets on a sound footing once again.
Most authors complain that the reading culture is slowly fading away locally, which might signal the gradual death of the book industry due to various factors.
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The industry might be facing serious challenges due to the development of technology and piracy, but there is still a chance to make the fair colourful again.
Bringing more events to the live literature centre could be a good way of luring visitors to the book fair while hosting renowned international authors and performers is likely to ensure widespread interest in the event.
One of the previous editions that brought in Jamaican poet and musician Mutabaruka attracted interest among local arts fans.
Previous organisers of the fair seriously blamed the corporate world for ignoring their pleas for funding but failed to realise that they could have been shunned because of lack of a clear-cut programme and new initiatives that could lure funders.
With the vision and commitment that the current organisers have exhibited, it might soon be possible to have a highly successful fair and even take it to other parts of the country.
There is great potential for growth and organisers should keep focused to take the fair to a higher level.
