ZIBF: a book fair surviving against the odds

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2000, which has just closed in Harare, is that it happened at all, given the unstable political and economic climate in the country. That it did is credit to the tenacity of its organisers.

The relatively peaceful passage of the Zimbabwe election encouraged the attendance of a good number of exhibitors and prominent speakers, such as academic and writer Ali Mazrui, at the well-attended Indaba conference, which coincides with the fair.

In Harare streets were calm and free of military presence, with the exception of the presidential guards. Even a one-day general strike produced only a deathly calm in the city centre on the opening day of the fair. However, a few incidents were reported in Harare, and violence in the countryside continues. Fuel shortages still exist and the economy is in a fierce downward spiral.

The essential paradox of ZIBF is that, whatever the political tensions and the difficulties of the trade, it remains the most pleasant of book fairs. The outdoor venue, the easygoing charm of Zimbabweans, the brilliant colours of the African national dress, the warmth of renewed associations, African jazz fusion at the Book Café; all contrived to make it a relaxed affair. Setbacks tend to be taken lightly. More than once I rounded a street corner in the dark to see a gaggle of publishers cheerfully pushing their taxi, which had run out of petrol.

There is no doubt, however, that the political crisis did impact on the book fair. Attendance was down, signalled by empty stands and the absence of national delegations from countries such as Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya. Attendance from South Africa was 30% down and there were significantly fewer trade visitors, which will probably mean lower library and institutional orders. Ghana, as the country of focus, was strongly represented and at official functions Ghanaian ministers and diplomats took the place of noticeably absent Zimbabwean dignitaries.

Otherwise, business was much as ever, with the main exhibitors from Europe being public and donor agencies, and specialist area studies publishers such as Zed Books and James Currey. The biggest stands at ZIBF 2000 were, as usual, those of the United Nations and the African subsidiaries of multinational educational publishers such as Longman and Heinemann. A growing presence is that of Kassahoun Chekole's US-based Africa World Press, which did good business in rights sales.

The problem for ZIBF is that African books have marginal markets in the northern hemisphere, while inter-African trade continues to be problematic, beset by distribution problems and tariff barriers. Peter Ripken of the Frankfurt Book Fair commented that the fall in attendance was not only attributable to the political tensions, but to inherent problems with the nature of the book fair. He said that too many exhibitors tended to rely on donor funding, detracting from the commercial rigour of ZIBF. While Ian Randle, chair of the Caribbean Publishers Network, sees potential for growth in the rediscovery of African origins in the African diaspora markets, it is clear that the main issue is the development of inter-African trade.

There was consensus that the crisis in Zimbabwe will worsen, and this inevitably casts doubt over the fate of ZIBF 2001. It remains to be seen whether next year's Zimbabwe book fair will continue as planned, or if it will be held in other countries, as suggested by Moses Samkange, Zimbabwe International Book Fair director.